OTE: Reclaiming the Night
by Twilight-Flame337
Summary: A second prohecy, a new group of warriors and a destiny that still needs to be fulfilled. It's up to Sara, the team and a strong group of people to take back what's theirs. Full summary inside.Sequal to On the Edge; I suggest you read that first.
1. Chapter 1

* * *

Title: OTE: Reclaiming the Night

Summary:Sequal to On the Edge. If you haven't read that first, I suggest you do because otherwise very little of this willl make sense. When a group of rebels takes over what was won in the last battle, it's up to Sara and the team to get back together with their warriors to save the kingdome a second time, but as they get farther and farther into the conflict, they find out that not everything is as it seems, and this particular something has many different facets - some that they never would imagine. Using a combination of their abilities and personal strength, they fight in the battle of their lives, only to find out that they might have been fighting for the wrong thing all along...

Disclaimer: I don't own CBS, CSI or the CSI characters. Everything else - O/C's, magical realms etc. - is mine.

A/N: Yes, I know that this isn't the strongest chapter, but it gets better, I promise. Hope you like it! Oh, and all the chapters won't be this short.

* * *

A strong wind blew smoke off a dark smoky field, creating a fog around a group of hooded figures walking away from a blazing village.

"We did our best." A deep voice said from within the group "The fires will stop soon, but the damage is permanent."

"Few lives were lost," continued another "but the injuries sustained are sure to bring more."

"I don't understand what went wrong." The person who was clearly their leader dropped their hood to stare at the rest of the group "It's been peaceful for so long."

"You know what they say," The first man said "If it's quiet for too long, the locals get restless."

"Restless is nailing shutters closed and tipping cows. This is over the top."

"What are you suggesting?"

"I think that this is something bigger than that. Someone's purposely causing trouble, and I want to know why."

"Well, we're on their trail now, so we should be able to catch up with whoever did this."

"Excellent." the leader smiled and pulled their hood back up "Lead the way."

--------

After several hours of quick walking, the group came upon those who had burned the village.

"Halt." Their leader demanded. The group of rebels recognized the voice and all knelt simultaneously. The group's leader, used to that reaction, only walked up to them.

"Have you been by Daronia lately?" the leader dropped the hood to reveal her long hair and dark eyes, and the other group bowed even lower.

"N-no ma'am, we haven't been near there." One of the rebels lied, straight faced.

"Are you sure? Have you been anywhere near a coal fire?"

"No ma'am." The woman narrowed her eyes at the rebel

"You sure?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then why do you smell of smoke, and why is there soot on your face." The man's mouth was poised to defend himself, but the woman cut him off "Better yet, why are all of you wearing clean, fresh clothes while the rest of you is dirty and unkempt?" As soon as the man realized that they had been found out, his demeanour changed. No longer the polite gentleman he had been a moment before, he and his companions stood at the same time, all drawing weapons. Their faces - when revealed - all had scars and the same hard, menacing expression. The woman scowled at them and let three streams of black and red magic rise from her hands. The streams formed talon-like columns and closed on the men who had burned the village. They were dead almost instantly, but one held on to his life.

"This is not all of us." he growled "And that was only the beginning. Our next target is bigger and...closer to home." With an evil smile, he drooped and stopped breathing.

"Rhea, are you certain that was the best course of action?" one man asked

"Well, we can't take them back with us, and the penalty for destruction of a village is execution anyways."

"What do you think he meant by close to home?"

"People like that take pride in their ability to mangle a person's thoughts. I wouldn't worry too much about..." she trailed off as she saw an inky black pillar of smoke rise from farther off in the forest.

"You were saying?" the same warrior asked, though his eyes were also fixed on the smoke.

"Well, that's certainly bigger than a village." she muttered "Come on. Let's go."

As the group got closer and closer to the smoke, they realized what was on fire, and started running. It took them little time at all to reach the Grand Council Ministry - the home of all the ruling officers of the eight kingdoms - only to find out that their suspicions were correct. It was on fire, though only one pillar and half a wall were engulfed in the powerful flames. Two long lines of men and women were standing guard in front of the building, hands clasped in front of them, each wearing clothes embroidered with the crest of the old Ruler.

"What business have you here!?" Rhea demanded, walking up to a man in the middle of one group. The two warriors flanking her both glared at the lines.

"We've come back to take what is ours."

"What claim do you have to this building!?"

"We respect the one true Ruler of these realms, and though you chose to disrespect and overthrow his true power, you shall never hold a claim. This building belongs to The Ruler and his followers."

"What have you done with my guards." At that, everyone in the lines laughed.

"You call those miserable excuses for warriors guards!? All they had time to do before the blaze spread was to save their precious hides and leave."

"I believe not one word of your lies."

"Then you are a very foolish woman."

"I beg to differ." she smiled wryly before flinging a glowing black-red orb at the lines. The lead rebel growled, and the space exploded in battle.

Hours later, the battle still raged in full force. Warriors locked with warriors, mages with mages... neither side was gaining any ground. Fortunately, Rhea's remaining guards who lived in the town closest to the building had come to their aid, and they were tied warrior for warrior.

"We have to break off!" A general was yelling across the brawl "We've just lost two more. I know not their numbers nor their strength, but they are defeating our side. If we wish to preserve the lives of our warriors, it would be wise of us to regroup and come back when we have larger numbers."

Rhea looked frantically at the battle, and recognized that her side was losing. With a grudging sigh, she motioned for them to retreat.

"FALL BACK!" The general called, taking off towards the cover of the great forest behind them. When she was sure that everyone had gotten away safely, Rhea followed herself, taking one last murderous look at the rebels who had taken over her home. When the last of them had retreated into the forest, they heard a cheer and then thunderous laughter from the rebels.

--------

"We can't win alone."Rhea told her general once again, looking down at the GCM from the hill they had stationed camp on.

"What do you mean?"

"Our warriors aren't enough. True, our numbers are increasing, but it's been a month, and if we leave it any longer there's no telling what will happen. They've already taken over four more towns and villages, and we haven't been able to do anything about it."

"How do you propose we proceed?" the general asked, also looking over at the blackened building that used to be theirs "Training would take ages, and as you said, time is a factor."

"Actually," she said, staring off at something only she could see "I had a...different idea."

* * *

A/N: Thus ends the first chapter. I really hope you liked it, and will stick around for ch2. Please review and tell me what you thought. Any opinion is welcome (even the criticism.) Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter! Glad you all seem to like the sequal!

* * *

"What is this? Cheese?" Nick asked as he stole half of Sara's sandwich

"Yeah, and it's mine." she took it back and glared at him "I just worked a double. I'm starving."

"Fine then." He reached over and took a french fry from Catherine.

"Hey! Lay off! These are mine."

"Mine now." he took another an dodged the fry she threw at his head "Now see, you're just throwing them away."

"You're so full of it." Sara hit him with a magazine "We've been working for hours."

"Yeah, well I just got here and I'm hungry."

"Eat at your own house."

"There's that sense of humour I love so much." he winked at her

"Oh Nicky stop." she batted her eyelashes at him "My heart's just fluttering."

"Oh, and you say _I'm_ full of it?" He laughed

"Guys," Warrick poked his head into the room "There's someone at the desk for us, or so I've heard."

"All of us?"

"Yeah, the entire team."

"That's a strange request. Who'd need all of us?" Sara said, finishing off her sandwich and standing up.

"No clue. That's all I was told."

"Guess we'll have to find out ourselves." Catherine said, following Warrick down the hallway. They met up with Grissom and Greg near the DNA lab and all walked down together.

"Oh. my. god."Sara said when she saw the woman waiting for them.

"Finally! Do you have any idea how long I've been standing here?" she said angrily. The woman standing in front of them was someone who they would never forget. Granted, she looked somewhat different with her dark, red streaked hair now shoulder length, wearing a short black and red skirt with a red tank top and black stiletto heels.

"What are you doing here!?" Sara hissed "You're supposed to be Ruling the kingdoms."

"There are no kingdoms to rule." Rhea replied in a low voice, glancing at Judy at the desk "They've been taken over by the old Ruler's followers."

"I guess it was only a matter of time." Sara sighed "It has been rather quiet for a while. What've they done? Livestock stealing again?"

"No." Rhea's dark eyes flashed "They started burning villages, but then their numbers grew, and they took over the GCM."

"They did _what_!?"

"Yeah, they did something with our guards - we _still_ don't know what - and they burned a tower and a wall, and now they're just...living there. We can't do anything overt because of the new peace laws, but we don't have the numbers or the power to do anything else."

"So..."

"So we need you, Sara. All of you. Last time our entire group worked together, we did something huge. This is small compared to that. It won't take as long, either. Just a simple in and out job."

"Why do you need me?" she lowered her voice to a near whisper "You have more powerful mages."

"And if I asked them, what would I say!? How would I explain what I want to do in the middle of the new peace laws, and how would I be able to trust them. _And_, you're still you-know-what."

"Ruler? Don't remind me."

"No, the prophecy fulfiller. You see, I was talking to Ammariah, and she said that the prophecy might be incomplete; that it might not have been completely fulfilled the first time around."

"You have got to be kidding me. After all we did for the realms when we got rid of the Ruler, there's still more to the prophecy!?"

"Prophecies are tricky that way. You think they mean one thing, and then there's a whole new facet to them."

"Great. That's just great." Sara sighed "If we come, you'll deal with our jobs and stuff when we leave like you did before?"

"Ammariah said if you see her right when you get in, she'd take care of it."

"What'd you do last time anyways?" Catherine asked "Nobody seemed to miss us."

"I'm not even going to pretend I know how she did it, but Ammariah told me that she did something to their minds that made them do things - like your mother watch your daughter, Catherine - and they wouldn't know why, but when you all got back they wouldn't even remember you'd left. It's like time was frozen...but not. It's really complex."

"Yeah, okay, I _completely_ understand that." Catherine rolled her eyes

"Listen, can we please leave?" Sara asked, glaring at yet another person who stopped to look at their little group before moving along down the hallway "Rhea's too eye catching for her own good, and if the problem's as big as you say it is..."

"Believe me, it's bad." Rhea said, her face lacking even a hint of humour "Is there somewhere we can go where we won't be seen."

"Yeah..." Sara looked over her shoulder "We can go in here."

"A closet? Seriously?"

"It's not like anyone'll remember anyways." She opened the door and they all squished inside

"I'll remember!"

"Well I don't care if _you_ remember." Sara teased, encircling them all in a blue-green veil of her magic. The rushing wind sensation that they were all now accustom to felt welcoming, as did the soft scent of the forest when they had finally changed realms.

They were standing in Garilin, on a sheer cliff overlooking the west wall of the blackened Grand Council Ministry. The orange, yellow and red warnings scrawled on the outer walls were glaringly bright in the midday sun.

"Wow. It's as bad as you said." Sara's eyes were wide as she stared at the once magnificent building.

"I know. It's worse inside. We've been using the underground tunnel system to look around."

"Being careful I hope."

"We are."

"How big's the group you have so far?"

"Not large at all. There's about...thirteen of us including me."

"We had the Ruler with twenty. It shouldn't be too hard to get a few more to help us. I bet some of our old warriors would do it."

"We need bigger numbers this time." Rhea disagreed, moving back from the cliff as she spoke "When we took the Ruler, we were doing it openly. I just set a whole whack of laws saying that nobody is permitted to take action against a sole person or group no matter the provocation. Action may only be taken in self defence, and that action must not be lethal. The person is to surrender the one who wronged them to the Ruler for a fair trial. This group is so big that the only way we can defeat them is to kill some of them, and that would be going against my own morals. That's what the old Ruler did, and I'm kind of trying to avoid that."

"How big are you thinking?"

"Look for yourself." They had reached an observation point, with a golden instrument that looked suspiciously like a heavily embellished telescope. The only difference was its dark magical glow. Sara bent over to look through it, brushing her hair out of the way. She only faintly registered the darker colour, different length, and the coloured streaks. When she focused the view, she gasped. The walls inside and out of the GCM were swarming with people. They were all wearing clothing that bared the old Ruler's crest, and she even recognized a few who had gotten away from the past battle. The only visible difference was that she could see all sorts of different magical signatures - the old Ruler never used mages. She sharpened the sight to see in the windows. There were dozens more warriors and mages filling the great hall, and more filling the downstairs chambers.

"There are more in the other rooms." Rhea said from behind her "When people realized that there was support on both sides..."

"They chose." Sara sighed "We were always afraid of this."

"I know." Rhea swept a stray strand of hair out of her face and sighed as well "I'll take you to our camp and we can talk it out with some of the guards I still have."

"So, you still don't know where your others went?"

"No." Rhea led them around a large boulder and between two large vertical slabs of rock "They could be in any one of the cells or in the catacombs...and you know how many of those there are in the basement."

"How many have you checked?"

"Not many. We haven't wanted to go in on a regular basis for security reasons, and when we have gone in, we haven't gone far."

"Okay, so what's going..."

"Holy crap!" Sara was cut off by Greg's voice at the back group "What's with the freaky clothes!?"

They had passed a small stream that was reflecting their images in the light. Greg, Nick, Warrick, Grissom and Catherine were now dressed in the normal wear for the kingdoms. The men were all wearing tunics and leggings in deep, earthy colours with thick canvas boots on their feet. Catherine was wearing a deep pink and white dress whose hem just touched the ground. As per normal, they were all carrying varying types of weapons. Warrick had a sword, a dagger, a bow and a tensente - a sharp, manoeuvrable Kantaran short sword. Sara had a sword and a dagger. The rest of them had only medium sized swords attached to their belts.

"Why didn't we look like this last time?" Catherine asked, turning sideways to see more of her new self.

"Last time was different." Sara said with a smile. "People change appearances when they belong here. Last time you didn't belong. This time, you do."

"You know, that's beautiful and poetic and all, but honestly, we have bigger things to do." Rhea said, forever impatient.

"Alright, alright." Sara shook her head with a grin "Where's this camp of yours?"

"Right...here." she turned to the left, and they could see a small village of pale canvas tents just below the grassy ridge they were standing on.

"Nice setup."

"Thanks. We've tried to use the few resources we have left wisely."

"Where are these generals of yours? We need to talk tactics and we need a plan fast."

"Big tent over there." She pointed to a tan coloured tent in the middle of the others, and then turned to the rest of the team "You guys can come with us or just wander around the camp. Warrick, since you're our warrior, I want you with us, but the rest of you are free to do as you please."

"Nice Ruling." Sara joked

"Shut up." Rhea elbowed her, smiling. The three of them walked into the tent where five well muscled men and women were knelt over a map on the ground.

"Yes, I have done it again." Rhea said dramatically, as if she were about to launch into a monologue "I promised you all help, and I have brought the most powerful, coercive people I could find."

"You're so full of crap." Sara snickered as the five warriors on the ground turned around. They were used to Rhea and her wishes that they didn't bow to her, but when they saw Sara, they all bent so low that their foreheads almost touched the dirt floor. The bowing was, Sara reflected, something that you had to get used to when you were in a position of power. Her major Goddess, Nyx, hated when people bowed like they did, and now Sara understood why.

"Listen," she told the warriors "Bowing only wasted your time and mine. Get up." They all stood at once, facing her and Rhea with respectively blank expressions.

"Anything happened while I was gone?" Rhea wanted to know.

"Nothing to note, ma'am." The tallest of the warriors reported

"Come up with anything?" She asked kneeling by the map.

"We've thought of using the western tunnel system to get in through a secret passage in the west wall."

"Good idea, but there's one major problem." Sara said, crouching down beside them and tracing a line on the map "This right here is a tunnel that the guards use to get in and out of the GCM without having to go through the halls and gates of the main building. It's very frequently used, and you have to cross it and actually use a portion of it to get to where you want to go. You'd get caught before you got within two hundred feet of the passage."

"Are you sure they'd know about that? I mean...they're rebels."

"Yes, but they're also the old Ruler's followers. Some of them are guards from his reign that got away in the battle, and they'd know for sure. The Ruler told every one of his guards about the passage to prevent the very same things that you're planning on doing."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Let's just go in through the east tunnels and take a look at the great hall through the grate in the south wall."

"Why the great hall?" one of the female warriors asked

"Well, when I was looking there were a lot of people there - more than normal - and Rhea said that you thought you saw something strange in there. Besides, the great hall is where everyone usually talks about what's going on, so if we listen we might be able to find something out."

"Won't it be dangerous, though? We haven't really ventured that far into the building."

"Listen," Sara said seriously "none of you are required to be a part of this. Even though you work in the Ruler's guard, you always have a choice. You can come with us, or stay here and work on tactics. Yes, it will be dangerous, but with us it usually is." she gestured to Rhea and herself "Your choice will not be held against you in any way, shape or form, so it is truly your choice." The five warriors just stared, never having heard one of Sara's speeches before.

"Well, I'm going." Rhea said with a grin, as if there was a doubt.

"Excellent." Sara turned to the warriors "We're leaving now. If you're coming, you can follow us. If you're not, work on a battle plan." With that she and Rhea both walked out of the tent purposefully, Warrick behind them. After a moment's hesitation, Rhea's guard started choosing.

When they reached the tunnels, they had all five warriors at their back.

"Ready to go?" Rhea asked the group, lighting up her hands so she could be ready to attack instantly. The warriors nodded "Excellent." Rhea nodded to Sara's hands "Light 'em up." Sara nodded and flicked her palms downwards, lighting them up with blue-green fire.

"Ready?"

"Ready." Everyone chorused.

"Care to do the honours?" Rhea asked, gesturing to the rusted grate that was the entrance to the tunnels.

"Why not." Sara pulled the bottom of the grate and it swung upwards on its hinges. The rest of the small group moved quickly into the tunnel, and Sara walked in after them. She looked down the wet passage and smiled to herself.

"And so it begins." she said, dropping the grate and letting the echo of the slam follow her down the dark tunnel.

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked it. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Yes, another somewhat short, somewhat slow chapter. You all must hate me by now ;-p. Now that we've gotten all the background out of the way, things should start to pick up. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!!!!!

* * *

After almost half an hour of walking, the group reached the grate. Sara, Rhea and one of the senior warriors crowded around the grate and looked through. The remaining four warriors and Warrick stood facing the way they had come to watch for danger behind them.

"There's more of them than I thought." Sara murmured, keeping quiet so her voice wouldn't carry into the great hall.

"This isn't the half of it. I don't know where they all came from." Rhea whispered "We've tried to get a concrete number, but more keep showing up."

"Must get pretty chaotic."

"That's what I thought at first too. I was thinking about just letting them stay until they argued themselves into submission, but it hasn't happened and I don't think it's going to. Everyone in there seems to be striving towards the same goal. They're all working every day, but they're being really careful about it, so we haven't seen what they're working on yet."

"Shh." Sara said shortly, waving a hand behind her for silence "I hear something." She concentrated on a small group of warriors that she could see through the metal designs and honed her senses in on what they were saying. After a few minutes, she gasped. Two men inside turned their heads towards the wall that the grate was on and she ducked out of the way just in time.  
"What? What was it?" Rhea asked urgently, glancing back through the grate just as the warriors were looking away.

"I'll tell you later. We have to get out of here." Sara's voice was tight with something that could have been fear. She led their small group back the way they had come, moving more swiftly than before. When they finally reached the end of the damp tunnel and had moved sufficiently far into the forest, Rhea stopped them and turned to face Sara.

"What happened? What's you hear that made us leave so fast. I was listening too, and I didn't hear a thing."

"I have better hearing than you; you know that." Sara said, distracted "I didn't catch all of what they were saying, but I did manage to hear the words 'Ruler, King, Demon and Back to life.'"

"That makes absolutely no sense." Rhea said after a moment of thought. She turned to her generals and Warrick for a second opinion, and they all shook their heads.

"What do you think it means?" One of the female warriors asked

"I don't know." Sara back over her shoulder at the once great stone structure while they started walking "We'll summon Ammariah and see if she can figure it out."

They walked in silence for a while, each person lost in their own thoughts, before Rhea spoke again.

"Do you have any kind of idea for a plan?"

"Not really. Coming up with anything would be a waste of time until we know what's going on, and judging by their numbers, what's going on is pretty big."

"So is there any point in continuing surveillance of the building?"

"Of course. There's never any harm in new information. Who knows? They might slip up and reveal something."

"Alright. Danuka?" She turned to a general "Take Lilly and see what you can find out from the overlook." the warrior nodded.

"The rest of you, spread out and tell everyone else what little we know. If anybody has even a hint of an idea, come find me or Rhea. We'll be in the main tent with the Goddess." The other four nodded and separated. Warrick off to find the team, the generals off to find other warriors.

"So, do you want to do the honours, or should I?" Sara asked when they were back in the now vacant large tent.

"She's your goddess."

"Point taken." Sara closed her eyes and let the familiar green-blue glow envelop her. She let her senses range through the kingdoms into the divine realms, and then concentrated her thoughts on Ammariah. Soon, she felt her goddess's response, and stopped the spell. A moment later, the tall redheaded woman she was so used to was standing in front of them.

"It's lovely to see you here, Sara." she said, falling back into the pattern of using Sara's mortal name in the magical realms "You've been away for a while."

"I know, Ammariah, but I was living another life."

"I understand." she nodded "Why have you summoned me? I gained by the nature of your thoughts that this is not a social call."

"You were right about that. So, you've heard about those people taking over the GCM?"

"Yes. Rhea came to me at the very beginning for a consultation. We both agreed to wait and see what happened."

"Well, we were looking into the great hall today, and the words of one group worried me. I couldn't hear all of their conversation, but I did pick up the words 'Ruler, King, Demon and Back to life.' Rhea and I discussed it with her generals and with Warrick, but none of us could put together what it could mean. Do you have any idea?"

"Demon, Ruler, King, Back to life." Ammariah muttered to herself. She switched the order of the words a few times, still speaking to herself. After half a dozen different combinations, she froze and her already pale skin got even whiter.

"Ruler, Demon King, Back to life." She said aloud, staring at Sara and Rhea with an expression near terror.

"What does that mean?"

"Listen," Ammariah said, her face and voice both serious "There is an ancient scroll in the demon culture that has been passed down for more centuries than anyone can remember. It tells of a combination of power, loyalty, facilities, sacrifice and magic that when mixed properly will give one person the ability to reincarnate the ancient demon king. Though he is not the father of all demons, he is the powerful leader of their culture that reigned over them for thousands of years. If he were to be brought back to life, the consequences would be life changing. The realms would be in complete chaos and demons would rule. Unlike the old Ruler, he cannot be defeated by magic alone. It takes a very complex combination of power, natural ability, purity, will, loyalty, good, evil, leadership and ambition to take him, and even that is a stretch. The first time the demon king was killed, it was by the combined efforts of almost two hundred people. The catch is that he cannot be defeated by a group the second time around. It has to be an individual person with all of those characteristics in great force, otherwise they will fail."

"And lemme guess," Sara said, rolling her eyes "that person has to be me?"

"There is no way of knowing beforehand, but as I mentioned to Rhea, there is a possibility that the prophecy has not been completed. It mentioned the end of a great war, but what it did not mention is which war. True, the great war of your time was the one that you terminated in your first battle, but there is one battle that most of your generation have never heard of. This battle is far greater than the one that you have known. It is not a battle between people like that of your time, but a battle between beings. A battle between the sheer goodness of the realms and the sheer evil. Those who lose this battle will lose not only their way of life, but their very being forever."

"Then we need to fix this?" Sara asked, her face frozen in shock.

"Yes," Ammariah smiled wryly at Sara's casual solution "We need to fix this."

* * *

A/N: Ta da! Okay, maybe not, but I hope it wasn't too dry. Please review and let me know what you think. If you have any ideas for me, or requests for what you'd like to see, just let me know and I'll see what I can do. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope this chapter starts the action.

* * *

"So this is what we know," Sara was standing in the large main tent in front of all of Rhea's remaining guards and her own team. Ammariah had left after a brief discussion about their plan, and now it was up to Sara once again to lead the group.

"We all know that the group is very large and made up of the Ruler's old followers. We also know that unlike the Ruler's old guard, there are mages involved, which makes our task a whole lot harder. After a small trip to look at our opposition, we found out that the Ruler, demons, a king and reincarnation is somehow involved in their scheme. We also found out that their numbers are larger than we thought, but what I'm about to tell you is much bigger than that." She paused to make sure that she had everyone's attention before continuing "After consulting Ammariah, we're pretty sure that we're dealing with an age old idea that - if done properly - would bring back to life the ancient Demon King. Don't confuse him with the father of all demons, because they're not the same, though the Demon King possesses a notable amount of power that can't be overtaken by a group, no matter how large. If brought back to life, the King will only be able to be defeated by a single person with strong, pure, latently powerful characteristics including power, natural ability, purity, will, loyalty, good, evil, leadership and ambition." Everyone in the tent murmured anxiously amongst themselves, and Sara waited until it died down on its own before speaking again.

"For now, until we figure out the complexities of this action, we're going to continue in depth surveillance of the building, using all resources available to us. I want observation on all sides of the building from all angles possible. Divide yourselves up as you like, but don't spread yourselves too thin. Remember that all times we need at least four observation points set up, ideally more than that, guards at the camp, and people on standby to trade off with the guards and observers. Any questions?"

"Yes." One of the female guards in the front spoke up "What should we do if we get caught watching?"

"You're all trained in your ability." Sara said, letting her eyes roam over all of them, including her team who, though they hadn't had their powers as long, were still competent and extremely able.

"Yes, but that doesn't answer my question."

"Even though I know very few of you personally, I trust your judgement as warriors and as loyal members of the new government. Do what you see fit, but just try to keep a low profile overall."

"So, who do you want where?" A man who looked to be no more than nineteen years asked in a deep voice.

"You're all grownups. Split yourselves evenly as you see fit. Come see me or Rhea with any problems. Ammariah left us piles of literature on the theories about the demons' idea, so we'll be sifting through it for a while."

"Everyone clear?" Even though Sara was technically the new Ruler, the guards were simply more used to listening to Rhea's commands, and her question had them all nodding and dispersing into natural groups. Soon the tent was empty, with even the CSIs gone - they had split up into groups with the rest of the warriors, showing Sara just how comfortable they had become.

"So," Rhea said, placing one hand on each of two large piles of paper "You want to tackle Demon Mythology or Common Theories about the reincarnation of the Demon King?"

"I'll take mythology if you don't want it." Sara said with a sigh, sizing up each of the piles "There's waaaaay too much of this stuff for two people."

"Well, we already have the rest of our group doing other stuff, and it'll just get confusing if more people start working through this. They'd have to report their findings to us, and then stuff would get lost in translation..."

"Okay, okay." Sara said, pulling the first of many papers into her lap "There's still a lot of it to go through."

"What part of 'countless number of centuries' do you not understand?" Rhea asked raising an eyebrow. Sara just rolled her eyes and went back to the ancient piece of paper she was holding.

-------

"That's it." Sara threw another brown, decaying piece of paper onto the pile "There is nothing here that's even mildly helpful."

"You sure? Because the scroll I read a few minutes ago on the in-depth anatomy of demon social structure was a real scream." Rhea said with a wry grin.

"Well, at any rate this stuff is absolutely NOT going to contribute anything useful to our...plight."

"Plight?" Rhea laughed "How cultured of you."

"What would you call it, then, if you're so smart." Sara shot back, placing the scrolls and papers back in the box they had come in.

"I'd call it knee deep in shit, but it's not as poetic."

"No, I agree with you." Sara sighed "But in all seriousness, we need to get some information on this demon prophecy. I mean, we can't just go in blind. That would be a suicide mission."

"We could keep looking through this stuff until we find something useful."

"That is always an option, but I think that we would have found something at least _suggesting_ that there was more useful information in here. It's all myths and legends and descriptions of what people _think_ that the Demon King looks like and what he can do. There's nothing concrete about any of it."

"Well, we can't very well go back in time and see for ourselves what he looked like, and to my knowledge nobody who was alive then is alive now."

"I know. They've all died, or been killed for what they know, and even if there _was_ someone who's still alive, it's not like they'd just come right out and tell us. I mean, that's how most of the witnesses got killed the first time."

"Why aren't there more immortals in the world." Rhea grumbled, mostly to herself.

"Wait...I think I know someone who can help us."

"Who?"

"The divines. They're _all_ immortal."

"Yeah, but I asked Ammariah and she doesn't know anything about it. Most of the divines were inducted after the Demon King was killed because of the huge number of divines that were killed for knowing too much. There's literally no-one left, Sara."

"There are a few left." Sara murmured, lost in thought "A few who are untouchable."

"What? There can't be."

"There are. I told you, the divines." Sara grinned "But not the ones you're thinking of. I'm thinking of the major divines, not the minor ones."

"The majors were killed too. As I said before, nobody's left."

"Not all the majors were killed. There are still a few left who know."

"Oh, and who would that be."

"The Primordial Deities. They can't be killed like normal immortals, and nobody would dare try in fear of the backlash."

"You want to talk to one of the primordial deities!?" Rhea's face was a mask of disbelief "You've got to be insane!? They don't talk to _anyone, _and even though you're someone special, you're not _that_ special. Even if they did agree to talk to you, you'd have to wait _months_ to get a private audience. We don't have months, Sara."

"Ah, yes, but you forgot one teeny tiny fact." Sara told her in a patronizing tone "My major goddess _is_ a Primordial deity, and she happens to love me, so I _know_ she'll see me."

"So you're going to go see Nyx and just plain ask her to talk about the Demon King? Just like that?"

"Yeah, just like that." Sara grinned and encircled herself in a veil of colourful magic.

"Now why didn't I think of that." Rhea mumbled to herself as her friend disappeared into a cloud of mist.

-------

"Try one more time." Sara heard her major goddess say from behind a wooden door. She saw a flash of magic through the crack between the door and the floor, and grinned. Seemed Nyx was training a new divine.

"But it's haaaard." A voice whined as Sara walked in. Both Nyx and the young man she was training turned towards the door as it creaked open, and Sara smiled sheepishly.

"I can come back if I'm interrupting." The young man's eyes were pleading her to stay, and Nyx smiled warmly, pretending not to have seen.

"Not at all. Derion has earned a break at any rate. Sara, this is Derion, Derion this is..."

"I know who she is." he said, a look of awe in all his expressions "She's the one who killed the old Ruler."

"And what does that mean?" Nyx quizzed

"It means that she's the new Ruler."

"Good. Glad to see you remember yesterday's lesson. Now, off you go. I'll send for you soon, and I expect you to return here using only magic. Be prepared."

"Yes ma'am." Derion bowed as he practically scurried out of the room. Sara was sure that he was anxious to tell anybody who would listen that he had just met the new Ruler personally. She frowned unconsciously.

"Now you see why I hate it so much when people bow to me." Nyx said casually as she sat down on a wooden chair, gesturing for Sara to do the same.

"The attention is... annoying at times."

"It can be." The Goddess said with a short laugh "So, I gather from the spontaneity of this appearance that your visit isn't of a social nature?"

"Uh...yeah. That'd be about right." Sara was suddenly very nervous. Sure, Nyx was nice to her and always completely friendly and welcoming, but usually nobody liked to talk about big battles against powerful opponents, no matter if the opponent was dead or alive. And, usually when people were uncomfortable, scared or intimidated, they lashed out in some way with their power, and Nyx was _very_ powerful.

"Well, come on. Out with it already." Sara let out a small burst of laughter at the casual tone her very powerful, very formal Goddess was using. That was one of the things she loved about Nyx - the fact that she was a friend as well as a mentor, and didn't use her power to seem superior, even though she was.

"Well, I want to ask you about something you've experienced."

"Are you having trouble with something?"

"I might...in the future. I'm not quite sure, but at any rate, I want to be prepared."

"Always a good decision. So what can I help you with."

"I want to talk to you about...the ancient demon war...and the Demon King." Nyx froze

"I'm sorry, did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes. The Demon King."

"Why? No, wait. Don't tell me here." Her face turned stern "This is a very serious topic to bring up. You know that?"

"Yes, and I'm extremely sorry for asking. I wouldn't unless it was absolutely necessary."

"So you _need_ to know?"

"Yes. And you're the only one who can help me. Please. It _is_ important."

"Fine, alright. I'll help you. But not here."

"Where?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll find you."

"It has to be soon, Nyx. I wouldn't push, but..."

"I will find you soon. Leave it in my hands. I'm more than capable."

"I know that. I wasn't implying..."

"Yes, I know." Her tone was warm again "Don't worry. I will help, I promise you. Now, if you'll excuse me..." she gestured towards the door, waving her hand in the general direction that Darion had disappeared to "I have things to finish."

"Thank you. So much." Sara said, truth ringing from every word. She was halfway out the door when Nyx spoke again.

"It's him, isn't it." Her voice sounded haunted and far away. "He's come back."

"Yes," Sara didn't even try to lie "He's back."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: As always, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Now that we know what's going on, the real action starts, so I hope you like this chapter, because it should lead to something big.

* * *

"So what'd she say?" Rhea asked as soon as Sara got back from the divine realms. She was sitting around a large camp fire with her guards and the team. By the questioning looks on their faces, Sara knew that Rhea had told them about where she had gone.

"She's going to help us, but she said she's going to come find me when she wants to talk."

"Why?"

"I don't know." Sara sat down beside a short, wiry man that she recognized from before "She seemed sort of...distracted after I mentioned the Demon king. It was strange. I've never seen her act like that before."

"Maybe she was just surprised." Nick said from her left "I mean, from what I've heard it's sort of a controversial topic."

"Or maybe she's scared. He sounds powerful." Catherine put in from across the fire.

"I don't know. She didn't seem surprised, and she's powerful too. To my knowledge, nothing scares Nyx."

"So, are you gonna go see her?" Greg asked through a mouthful of the soup they were all eating.

"I have to go. I mean, she's the only one with answers that's willing to talk to me. I have virtually no choice in the matter."

"What are you going to talk to her about?" Warrick said, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on his knees.

"I don't know. I guess she'll have things she wants to tell me and things she doesn't. There's no arguing with her anyways. I'll just listen to what she has to say."

"What do you think she'll say?" Greg said, forever curious

"I don't know. I hope it's something we can use, but I won't push her if she doesn't want to say anything."

"Why not, if it would help?" Grissom asked

"Horrible things happened to those who told what they knew about the Demon King. I'd understand if she didn't want to tell."

"So when's she going to talk to you?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll just have to wait."

-------

"Sara, it's been three days." Rhea said as she trudged through the rain alongside Sara and the team on their way back from observation.

"I know." She pulled her hood farther around her face, muffling her speech

"Maybe you should go see her again...remind her or something. She might have forgotten."

"That's near to impossible. Divines have great memories."

"Maybe she's scared of telling you so she ran." Catherine suggested

"No, that's not like her. She said she'd come when it was time, and I have to believe her."

"You're going to have to do something soon if she doesn't say anything."

"I don't know what to do." Sara sighed, pushing her cloak back to look straight at Rhea "We're going to need to do something soon whether she tells us or not. They're starting to gather things, and I don't like it."

"Neither do I. I guess we'll need to start making a plan."

"I guess so. Anybody have and ideas?"

"If we could somehow distract them, maybe we could get somebody inside." Catherine suggested

"We'd need someone new if we were going to do that. They already know most of Rhea's guards, and I need you all here."

"Could we get someone new?"

"Not quickly. We'd first need to find someone, and then interrogate them."

"Wouldn't that be a pretty quick process?" Greg asked "I mean, we interrogate people all the time at work, and that never seems to take too long."

"You'd be surprised at how many people would betray us for even a small bribe or false promise. We'd have to do a very in depth interrogation to be able to trust them with what we want them to do. It would be way too hard."

"And the way they're moving forward, there just isn't time." Warrick said, having observed the rebels' progression earlier that day.

"Could we go in underneath through the tunnels like we did the first time?"

"No good." Nick said, loping along beside them in his wolf form "I was looking at the tunnels earlier today, and they've upped security in all of them. Seems they've learned from the Ruler's previous mistakes."

"Crap." Sara muttered "Well then it seems the only option is a full on frontal attack."

"Which we can't do because of the new laws." Rhea put in "So we'll need to do something covert."

"Like what? They're guarding the underground tunnels twenty four hours a day, and anything up top would be way to obvious."

"We need to go what's going on otherwise this is going to go sour."

"You think there's anything left in those scrolls that we missed?"Rhea dropped her cloak on the ground when they reached the sleeping tent they were sharing with Catherine.

"I doubt it. That was all myth and legend. We need facts."

"We need to wait." Rhea sighed "Face it. We need Nyx. Without her, we can't do anything other than surveillance."

"You think anyone will have an idea for us? It wouldn't hurt to ask them."

"Wouldn't help us much either. They have as few facts as we do. Anything they say will be based on the same load of crap that we have, and that will just set us back even more." She flopped down on her low cot "I hate not being able to do anything but watch."

"Well, for now it's all we can do."

"I want more information."

"We _need_ more information."

"Looks like you two need me." Nyx appeared in a swirl of her dark coloured magic.

"Finally." Rhea and Sara breathed at the same time.

"I believe we need to have a discussion." The Goddess waved her hand in the empty space between her and Sara.

"Yeah, we do." Sara replied without hesitation.

"Walk with me." She disappeared out the tent flap, leaving Sara only the option of following. When they had walked farther into the forest where no light from the campfires was visible, Nyx glanced towards Sara.

"Listen. I'm only going to say this once, and then I'll never repeat it ever again." The Goddess took a deep breath "The Demon King was a very, very powerful man. Not human, though he tried to convince everyone he was. That was, you know, the only thing that kept him from becoming The Ruler - his lack of humanity and human characteristics. That's when he found the Ruler - at that time a completely normal, completely mortal little boy. Like the divines, the Demon King had the powers to convert mortals to magicals, though he turned them into demons and purely evil monsters. He saw an element of evil in the Ruler's character, and brought him here, taking the Ruler as his apprentice, and his...heir." she took another shaky breath and looked deeper into the dark forest, though Sara knew she wasn't seeing anything that was there "The divines all saw that the Ruler wouldn't be a good magical, and we tried to fight it when he went for the...throne, I guess you could say. The Demon King, however, brought the people's wrath upon the divines, and our opinions were voided. Then, when the Ruler was in power, he helped us get back into the good graces, and then nobody knew what to think of him. Sure, there were some who thought he was evil, but after all he did for the kingdoms...there was a conflict. Now, The Ruler was good at first. He helped the realms grow strong...feel proud about what they had...like him...but that all changed later on, when the King came back.

"The Demon King left the realms for a while to live in the mortal realms, and he left the Ruler in charge. When he was in charge in the start...when he was alone, The Ruler was actually not so bad. The Ruler you knew was purely evil, and an extremely horrible person, but The Ruler I knew was a good one. Without the influence of the Demon King, he would have been a good ruler. He would have made the realms prosperous and utopian. Then, when the King came back, he saw how the realms were becoming and hated it. He used his power to change the Ruler's entire mental structure so he was no longer good, and no longer had the forgiving, merciful mortal characteristics that he once possessed. Then, once the Demon King was 'in power' he decided that the realms needed a strong group of leaders. Not a sole demon leader, but an army...an entire society of demons to rule as one. Then, he decided that when they gained the people's trust as a government, they would start transforming normal people into demons and inject their minds and spirits with the essence of pure evil. He wanted a completely evil society, and he was going to get it.

"Everyone tried to stop him...all the divines, the people...nobody could make him stop what he was doing. You have no idea how many people he turned before he got too weak to turn any more. With time and rest he would have gotten more power, but even that wasn't enough for him. He wanted it instantly, and he wanted it fast." Nyx dropped her head and started pacing, looking to the ground, then up to the sky, and then back to the ground.

"If you don't want to talk about it..." Sara said quietly, her voice thick with emotion for the people who had gone through the hell Nyx was describing.

"No, you need to know." The Goddess's dark eyes locked with Sara's, and she seemed to draw strength from that. She started striding off farther into the forest and Sara followed, matching her stride for stride.

"The Demon King wanted more power, and he wanted it fast," Nyx repeated, not looking over at Sara "so he did the only thing that he could think of - he came to the divines. He asked us politely for the use of our elements to draw strength from them, and when we refused, he demanded them. When we refused that, he left us and did some quick research. What he found out was that there is a combination of rare materials, power, loyalty, facilities, sacrifice, magic and a characteristically specific host body that could bring him unspeakable power, and even a second life. What he also found out was that we had the scroll with the precise formula on it. When he knew that, he came back to us, and demanded the scroll. Of course, we didn't give it to him, but by that time he was becoming...impatient. So, he asked around and found out which divine represented the element with the most power, and he found out that it was me." She stopped to take a deep breath and look up at the sky again, the look in her eyes telling Sara that she was wishing that she was anywhere but where she was.

"At the time, I was young...Only a handful of centuries' life experience under my belt." she sighed "I was involved with this man named Akintunde...a mage. We were the same age...in appearance, and he knew that I was a divine, and I knew that he wasn't, and that he wasn't immortal, and that he was going to die, but we didn't care. Neither of us did. We saw each other everyday...he worked in the divine realms in the Chamber of Divine Law. He handled finances...documents...all of that. He became head of his department, and when his mentor and superior died, he told Akintunde the best kept secret of the divine realms - the location of the scroll. When the Demon King found _that_ little bit of information out...it was like icing on the cake for him. He figured out that Akintunde and I were together, so he took Akintunde and tortured him, knowing that I would come. I did, of course, and he made me an offer.

"He said that he'd let Akintunde go if I worked with him to get his power back using the element of night. He also said that he'd make me his queen. He'd give me a portion of his magic, and make me the Demon Queen, and we'd rule together. He was planning on dethroning the Ruler and just...casting him aside for what The King called 'mortal weakness.' Of course, by that point the Ruler had no mortal qualities left, but the King didn't care. People to him were like...I don't know...plastic utensils to mortals. He used them until they were of no use to him, and threw him away."

"What happened?" Sara was surprised at the hoarseness of her voice, considering she had barely said a word.

"Well, I was about to accept...don't look at me that way. I was in love with Akintunde, and his life meant to me...well...more than you could ever imagine. Of course, we were so in tune that he could see just from my eyes what I was planning, and he turned to the Demon King and said _You'll never take her soul for something so wrong. You'll never take her soul at all._ Then he turned to me, looked straight into my eyes...and his gaze softened..." Nyx's voice lowered until it was almost inaudible, and her eyes were fixed on something only she could see "And he said_ I will always love you, Nyx. No matter what you do, or how you do it. I will always believe in you, and even as I do what I do, I hope you will never stop believing in me. Though it might be hard to believe, and a line as old as the world we live in, we will always be together...in the air, the earth, the sea the water...The Night, and of course, in our hearts and souls. I promise you that for the rest of my existence in the elements and the afterlife of these realms, that I will never forget you, and we will always be together. And, no matter if you forget me as your endless life goes on, remember this one fact. I have always and will always love you. I loved you the first time I saw you and I have loved you ever since. If you remember nothing else, my love, remember that. _And the whole time The King just stood there, staring at him staring at me, and then Akintunde pulled a dagger - I didn't even notice he had it - from his belt, and plunged it right through his heart, and then I screamed and dropped to my knees, and the Ruler yelled at me to join him in his quest for power and he said that he would make me his queen and I'd be happy, but I didn't believe him, and then I blacked out, and when I woke up I was alone." She shook her head and refocused her eyes, almost as if she was bringing herself back from someplace that existed only in her mind. "And I've never forgotten." She vaulted over a branch obstructing their path, and Sara followed in stunned silence.

"Anyways...that's what the demon's prophecy talks about. Though they've never seen the scroll it's written on, they know about it, and my guess is that's what they're looking for...this new group. You see, nobody knows where the scroll is. The Demon King was killed by a large group of people...two hundred or more...with their combined powers. They knew what he was trying to do and banded together to kill him. A huge battle ensued between demons and those who didn't want to follow them, and it was epic. More so that the one you fought, though over much the same topic. Now with the demon Ruler dead, and the Demon King dead, all that the demons and the evil members of these realms have left is that prophecy. My guess is that they chose now to act because of the new peace laws. You can't do anything big because of them, and they can pretty much do whatever they want. My guess is that they're looking for the scroll or anyone who knows where it is."

"And nobody knows where it is?"

"No. The Demon King had a guess, but he was killed, and of course...the only person who knew was Akintunde, and he was supposed to pass it on to his apprentice, but then he was..." she sighed and looked away, though Sara could see a single tear shining on its way down her cheek "Anywho...you need to find that scroll and make sure they don't find the materials or the host they need to bring back the King. I know you've heard the theory that somebody with a mix of power, natural ability, purity, will, loyalty, good, evil, leadership and ambition can stop him, and I know you think that the person is you...but there is a very real possibility that it's not. Yes, my child, you are special. I've known that for a while, but as good and pure as you are, I don't think that you have the pure qualities it takes to stop this alone. I could be wrong, but as I see it now, the only way to stop this is to not let it start at all." Nyx stopped for a moment and looked back at Sara, her eyes full of an emotion that Sara couldn't identify.

"I...uh...have a question..." Sara said in the same soft voice as before, unnerved by Nyx's sudden show of emotion.

"Oh, of course." Nyx smiled, though it looked to take some effort "I've been going on and on, and I haven't stopped to let you speak a word. Ask away."

"Well...it's probably nothing...but Ammariah said that there was a possibility that the prophecy wasn't fulfilled the first time around, and she said that maybe...this time could be a part of it...and that...I don't know the rest of it, but I can't see how it's not fulfilled...Do you...know anything about that?"

"Listen...there's something that you don't know. In order for the first prophecy to be fulfilled, there's a second one that needs to be completed first."

"Wait, what?"

"Yes, there is a second one. This one doesn't talk about you, but about one who can help you. There will be one who complements you perfectly...who makes your power complete. Together, the both of you will be two halves of a whole hero. We thought it was Gil, but he proved too vulnerable to the effects of strong magic. I sincerely hope it's not him."

"So...okay. How will I know? About the...person."

"It's not something I can explain easily...the closest thing I can think to say is that you'll just...know."

"Is it...does this just happen to me? Or has this ever happened to somebody else?"

"Something like it happens to divines." Nyx sighed and sat down on a large rock that was bathed in silver moonlight "Because we're so powerful, our...other halves are easy to identify by way of emotional connection. If the feeling is the same, you'll feel something the likes of which you'll never have felt before."

"So...it's...just like that? I'll know and that'll be it?"

"I'm not sure, Sara. I've never gone through what you're going through, so I can't say."

"Have you experienced the thing with the other half...and the feeling?"

"Yes, my dear, I have. But, it's getting light soon, and you should be heading back." Sara looked up at the sky, where the moon had just peaked. It didn't look like it was getting lighter for hours, but Sara figured it was Nyx's way of saying that she wanted to be alone.

"So what should I do about the Demon King?"

"You have to stop them from finding that scroll, which is to say you have to find it first. They can't go through with this, otherwise...I don't know who will be able to stop them."

"Alright. Do you know anyone who..."

"No, this is something you have to figure out on your own." Nyx was staring up at the moon, looking completely lost in thought. Sara nodded

"I understand. I'll...leave then."

"Good luck."

"Um...I have one more question..."

"What?"

"You know when you said that...you'd had that whole other half thing happen to you? What if the person who's...that person...does something that makes you not want them...or goes away...or something like that. What do you do?"

"It's...very hard." Nyx said after a long moment of silence. She closed her eyes, almost as if she was trying to push something away or forget it. She opened them with a tortured expression on her face and looked up towards the moon once again, only this time small, swirling strands of moonlight coloured magic flowed down from the moon and danced around Nyx, caressing the Goddess like a treasured friend. She closed her eyes again and sighed softly. Without opening her eyes or even turning towards Sara, she added "It happened to me with Akintunde, and I've never gotten past it. I've never loved that way ever again."

"Oh...uh...I'm...sorry." Sara stammered, suddenly feeling very awkward and out of place. She turned and started making her way back the way they had come. As a last thought, she turned to look over her shoulder at the Goddess, who was still sitting on the stone, her head tilted up towards the moon whose rays were still dancing around her.

"Thanks." Sara called out softly "For everything." Nyx didn't acknowledge her, but Sara knew she had been heard. Then, without another backwards glance, she started hiking back through the forest, letting her un-natural speed carry her quickly through the trees. As soon as she was a few feet from the camp and could see the glowing embers of the fires, she slowed down to a near stop, suddenly unsure of what to do.

_Well,_ she thought _We have the information we need. Now...all we need is...to stop them._

And for the life of her, Sara couldn't see how they were going to do it.

* * *

A/N: Hoped you like it! Please review and tell me how I did, and like last time, if there's anything you'd like to see here...you know where to find me (on the other end of that little purple/grey/green button.) Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks a million times over to everybody who reviewed chapter five! I got the most reviews for one chapter that I've ever gotten and it made me extremely happy. I've also recently gotten a flood of ideas for this story, so hopefully that'll make all of you happy when I get them into play.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Rhea asked with a yawn as she walked into the main clearing the next morning. Sara was sitting on the worn grass with her back against a rock. A wooden board was resting against her leg and she was staring thoughtfully at the paper attached to it.

"Figuring out a plan."

"So what Nyx gave you was useful?"

"Extremely. Now I know what the rebels are after." She went back to looking at the page, and Rhea stood for a few moments before prompting

"And that is..."

"Oh. They're after a scroll that will tell them the exact combination of things they need to reincarnate the Demon King."

"So...where is it?"

"That's just it. Nobody knows where. The only people who did were killed, and now there's not one person - at least, one that Nyx knows of - who knows where that scroll is."

"So what are you thinking about doing?"

"Seems that the only thing we can do is find the scroll before the rebels, but that's not going to be easy to do."

"How are we going to find it? I mean...if nobody's found it by now..."

"I know. That's what I'm trying to figure out. There must be someone who has some idea..."

"Someone must have been around when they were hiding it...or at least...suspected or something."

"I think that our best bet is looking around the document managers' logs and seeing if they wrote anything about it. When everyone else wakes up, we should send a few to the documents office."

"And the rest?"

"Surveillance and tactics."

"So basically you're saying that we can only do what we've been doing all along?"

"Until we read those journals, yes. After that, we'll come up with a real plan."

"Alright then." Rhea sighed and stood "I'll sort it out."

-------

"We have a major problem." A warrior - Mario, who Sara had come to respect - burst into the main tent after his shift of observation.

"What?" Sara asked, looking up from one of the thick, leather bound journals that the group who had gone to the documents office had dropped off.

"Come with me." he disappeared out the tent flap, and Sara followed. When they were outside, he gestured towards the bushes with a tilt of his head. Sara knew not to look directly into them, but with her peripheral vision she saw three warriors and a mage crouching about twenty feet past the tree line, partially obscured by a thick bush. She knew that normally, nobody would be able to see them, and that's what they were counting on. Of course, with her vision, they were almost perfectly clear.

"When did they show up?" She asked, leading Mario deeper into the small camp.

"A few hours ago when I was on observation. I've always been told to pretend as if I don't know watchers are there, so I've been ignoring them. They haven't tried anything violent...yet. I'm not sure how you'd like me to proceed."

"Alright." Sara thought fast, closing her eyes for concentration "Trade duties with somebody else - I don't care who - to determine if they're following just you or all of our warriors on observation. Come back to me when you know, but for now just keep ignoring them." Mario nodded and left to find a warrior to trade off with him, and Sara went back to what she had been doing before. As she sat down at the small wooden desk she had been using, she found that her mind wasn't on the journals, but the military aspect of what they were doing. True, research was important, but she found herself getting bored with it. More and more journals from the documents archives came pouring in, and there was only so much she and Rhea could go through. Since this morning, Rhea had been on observation as well, and her group had encountered a few strange sights that required investigation. Now with Mario running into problems, she didn't know how long things could stay as quiet as they had. With a small sigh, she looked back to the decaying page in front of her.

------

After hours of tireless research, she came upon something that, at first, she thought wasn't real - a dream or a hallucination brought on by fatigue or sheer annoyance. She pulled a ragged, dirty page out of the journal. It was wedged between two pages and folded over many times. After re-reading the page half a dozen times, she was sure it was real, and a huge smile spread over her face.

_Maie 15th, 729_

_Today, something extraordinary happened. My apprentice, who has been showing incredible progress of late, started acting strangely. His behaviour in this morning's training session was odd. He seemed skittish...nervous, almost. I tried to speak to him, like all mentors should, but he seemed lost and brushed the subject aside. Also, in this afternoon's research lesson, he seemed miles away, as if his mind was not where his body was. Later, I realized that as a mentor I should make him feel at ease. Perhaps it was an action of mine that started this mood, but I decided that at any rate, he and I should have a little chat. I went into his room that evening after supper and confronted him about his strange behaviour. What he told me was...exceptional. I was certainly taken aback at first, but afterwards...oh how happy I was. How pleased with him. Now, mind you, if you are reading this after my death, you must keep this information to yourself, as it is of utmost importance to guard this secret. When I confronted my young friend, he pulled out a browned scroll that I was sure was going to fall apart in his shaking hands. As he unrolled it, I too started shaking, for it was an exact formula for reincarnation of evil beings. As it is, everyone knows about the Demon King's weakening reputation, and his loss of hold on the kingdom. More and more citizens are seeing the error of his ways, and soon a revolution will start - I can feel it! I suggested that my apprentice to turn the scroll over to me, but he denied my request, and intelligently so, for if I were ever compromised, and if the demons and the evil doers ever laid their hands on this...the consequences would be severe. I instructed him to accompany me to a secure location where he would be able to hide it from all eyes, ears, and most importantly...hands. I am certain that it will be safe. However, if it shall ever be needed again, I'm sure that one other than my apprentice and myself needs to know, so I have told our financial supervisor and our minister of documents and finances - both under a strong, solemn, magically bound oath, and both close personal friends. I have declared that the apprentices of those two men and myself shall be told the scroll's location upon our deaths, so the secret will remain alive in a specially chosen few. Though, I know our King's nature, and that of his half demon apprentice, and our future Ruler. If they are to kill those who know the secret, let this log be a last record. To find the scroll, look deep inside yourself and allow yourself to be led to the river where the water runs grey, past the fields of despair, through the highest mountains and the most beautiful fields of green, to where the roots hang above. There, your strength will be tested...your very moral character. Only two types can handle the scroll, so beware...Only those who are purely good, or those who are purely evil. Though you may think this applies to you, it may not. Very few qualify...something I have discovered over my years. I only hope that your character is the former of the two. Any others will experience and excruciating pain the likes of which they will never have dreamed, and the scroll will be damaged. May you use this information for the right reasons, and I wish you much luck in your exploits._

_~Dileio Marcanna_

Sara picked up the paper and left the tent, a new bounce in her step. She walked into the dining tent and looked around the canvas enclosure, searching for a specific dark head.

"Hey Sara." Nick said through a mouthful of bread "Joining us tonight?"

"No. Looking for Rhea."

"She's not here." Catherine said from farther down one long table "But she should be back soon if you want to sit down." Sara looked out the tent flaps and past the campfire into the dark forest. Realizing that, with the rebels who were watching them, staying near the rest of the group was her best bet considering what she held in her hand. With an annoyed growl, she sank down on the bench beside Warrick and stole half of her friend's bun.

"So why do you need to see Rhea so badly?" he asked, ignoring the theft of his food "You see her like...five times a day."

"I need to talk to her." Sara mumbled

"Something happen?"

"Yeah, actually."

"Does this mean we'll get to do a little more than observation and document hunting?" Greg asked, rolling his eyes.

"It might."

"Excellent. No offense to your planning, but I've been bored solid since we got here." Warrick said

"I don't blame you. I've been bored and I've been stuck with all the documents that you're bringing in."

"Now you all know why I avoid your evaluations." Grissom joked

"Sara." Denia, one of the female warriors, rushed up to the table, Mario on her tail "Where's Rhea?"

"If you find out, let me know." Sara said with a grin

"No, you don't understand. We _need_ her. Those rebels who've been watching us since this afternoon have started taking some action." Sara froze

"What kind of action?"

""They killed two of our own."

"Crap. Where are they now?"

"Trying to get into the camp. We have three groups holding them back, but that's only six people, and there are four of them, and we'd rather not kill anyone this early in."

"Alright." Despite the situation, Sara smiled as she stood up and motioned for her team to do the same "Time for some practice."

"Follow us." Mario said, his serious expression set in his features like a stone carving. He led them out into the now dark forest, keeping the pace slow so they wouldn't lose their footing.

"I'm going to go ahead and see what we're up against." Sara said in a low voice, privately annoyed with the slow pace after so long spent restricted in the camp with the scrolls and old journals.

"We don't want to lose you." Denia said, her tone anxious. Sara suspected that she was partially afraid of getting lost herself.

"Don't worry. I know where you're headed, and I can see in the dark. I want to make sure that our opposition isn't too strong before I send everyone in."

"You sure you're okay to go in alone? I mean...we don't know if there are more of them in the forest, and maybe they've gotten reinforcements..." Mario looked around them, farther into the trees.

"Relax. I'll meet you there." With that, Sara took off running. She shot through the trees faster than she had run in a while, and it felt good. Though twisting her power so she could run at a superhuman speed felt strange, it was a familiar kind of strange that made her feel like she was home, because this - running fast and acting alone - was something that she could do with her type of power, and it was truly what she was meant to be doing. It felt wonderful and right, and she almost laughed out loud at the sheer magnificence of it. She stopped marvelling at the feeling of running for a moment to figure out where she was. She hadn't been lying when she said that she knew where she was going. A part of her brain that she didn't quite understand controlled her directional sensibility, and it was very good. She just had to glance up at the sky and listen to know where she was, and where she was to be heading. With a quick check, she realized that she had run almost three times the distance she had intended, putting her far ahead of the location of the trouble. She turned on her heel with a sigh in a blindingly fast movement and tore back the way she had come. When she was within a couple miles of the targeted location, she stopped, stood stock still, and listened.

What she heard surprised her. The sides seemed to be evenly matched, though Mario and Denia had said that there were only four rebels and six of their own group. By the sounds of it, each side had gained fighters and they were locked in combat. A bit of fast walking brought her to the middle of it, and she instantly saw what had started off small had turned into a large battle. Both sides looked to have about twenty on their side, and Sara was startled when she noticed a few who were supposed to be on her team fighting with the rebels. With a scowl, she flicked her hands downwards and her blue and green magic engulf them. She sent shots at two of the rebels to stun them, and then sent two more at the warriors who used to be on her side. She aimed for another three, but before she could fire another mage stepped in the way, this one's entire body glowing with their orange and purple fire. Sara glared at the mage, who invited her to battle with one hooked finger. Sara raised one mocking eyebrow at the mage and shot a hard stream of magic at him. The shimmering blue green rope wrapped around the rebel mage and started to harden, but the man broke out of it in an explosion of purple and orange and counter attacked with a ball of fiery orange and purple magic. Sara narrowed her eyes and threw a swirling magic loop at the mage. He, of course, counter attacked, and she responded. They were locked in their own personal battle for nearly a quarter of an hour, unaware of the growing battle raging around them.

When Sara finally finished off the mage, she was exhausted. She pulled out her sword and started hacking her way back into the middle of the battle. Her group was winning, as they usually were with their skill, but they were almost tied for numbers. Those from each side were laying on the ground, some dead, some wounded, most of them captured. Warrick, to one side of her, had his blade locked with a female warrior from the other side, lunging and parrying expertly. He flung her blade from her hand as Sara ran past them, and he bound the warrior's hands to her sides before moving to another opponent. As Sara dodged an arrow that someone shot at her, she saw Nick lunge at the archer in his wolf form. She shot him a grateful look and grabbed a stick off the ground just in time to block a slice from another warrior's swords. She whipped out her dagger and sliced her attacker's arm. When the warrior was distracted, she grabbed two strips of hide from her belt and bound the warrior's arms and legs.

After nearly another hour of fighting, the battle was over. Sara still hadn't seen Rhea, but wasn't surprised due to the sheer size of the battle. The portion of their group that was left all followed Sara wearily back to the camp. Though their movements showed their exhaustion, their eyes showed their excitement. When they got back to camp, everyone crowded in the main tent and sat down to eat whatever leftovers they had from dinner. Sara sat down happily with the rest of her team at the table, splitting a plate of bread and fruit that they had found.

"You all did well." she complemented between bites.

"You're just being nice. I was so rusty." Warrick said with a grin

"Considering this is your first time out since we last trained together, I'd say you did pretty well."

Rhea walked in and sat down heavily beside Nick.

"I think they did good." she said with a tired smile "Better than me, at least. I got more hits than I put out, I think." She propped her chin up on her hand and looked at Sara with a contemplative expression.

"So, word around here is that you need to talk to me pretty badly."

"Yes. Finally." Sara stood, picking up the parchment that she had kept with her, and slamming it down on the table in front of Rhea.

"What's this?" Rhea asked, starting to read the entry.

"It's our ticket to an actual plan to stop this thing."

"You found something?" Rhea asked in a breath, her tone thick with hope and optimism.

"Oh yes." Sara nodded with a grin "I definitely found something."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I take no credit for this chapter for as soon as my fingers touched they keyboard it wrote itself (the poetic phrase isn't mine, but it suits this note well enough for me to leave it where it is.) Thanks to everyone who reviewed ch6 in the short time between when I got it up and now. Hope you like this one. I promised you action, now didn't I? Well, it's safe to say that the action is finally coming.

* * *

"Wake up." Rhea poked Sara with the tip of her sword the morning after the battle.

"Go away." Sara muttered, rolling over.

"Don't make me use the blade of this thing. I just sharpened it." She shoved the sword back in its sheath with force, letting the metallic sound ring for a moment while Sara sat up and stretched.

"What do you want?"

"Talking about that find of yours would be nice."

"Lay off it. I haven't slept since I got here."

"Stop complaining. You _just_ got here. I haven't gotten any sleep either, and I'm expected to rule this mess." She waved her hand absently in the empty air, gesturing to all the realms vaguely.

"Well, I don't understand what there is to talk about. You gaped enough at that entry last night, and we tried to figure it out who the document master's apprentice was for _hours. _I don't see what else you're so worked up about."

"_To find the scroll, look deep inside yourself and allow yourself to be led to the river where the water runs grey, past the fields of despair, through the highest mountains and the most beautiful fields of green, to where the roots hang above." _She quoted straight from the scroll "Honestly, Sara. Try and keep up. Do you know what that means?"

"You think that if I knew we'd still be here?"

"Well that answers your question now, doesn't it." Sara muttered something in response that Rhea couldn't hear, but guessed was nothing too polite.

"Fine then. Do _you_ know what it mean then, if you're so smart?"

"Oh, of course I do." Rhea awarded Sara an impressive eye roll "I just came in here to wake you up because I was yearning for your charismatic company this early in the morning. I swear, if I didn't know any better I'd think that one of those rebels hit you a little too hard on the head last night."

"Alright, alright." Sara sighed and left the tent, grabbing a small slate and a piece of chalk on her way out. Rhea followed, all the while protesting.

"It was warm in there, you know." she shivered in the misty morning air that was always cold.

"Just because you seem determined to ruin my morning, it's no excuse to do the same to Catherine's."

"Your choice." She watched as Sara scrawled the five clues they had on the slate in a list:

_River where water runs grey  
Fields of despair  
Highest mountains  
Most beautiful fields of green  
Where roots hang above_

_  
_"Anything you recognize?" Sara asked after they had both had a moment to study the list.

"Nothing specific. I mean, fields of green? That could be anywhere."

"Why are these kind of things never specific? This is like the language in a prophecy. All that fuzzy double talk that nobody can understand."

"With our luck it probably is a prophecy."

"No way. Absolutely not." Sara shook her head "I cannot handle another prophecy on top of the two I already have to worry about."

"Well, prophecy or not we still need to figure out where we're going." Rhea pointed at the second place on the list "_Fields of despair_...that could be specific. Like Vitanse Green or something...it could be a name."

"If it is a specific place, it's none I've ever heard of."

"We can ask around...see if anyone from another realm recognizes it."

"Couldn't hurt." Sara shrugged, though privately she knew that it wasn't going to be recognized. She assumed Rhea had similar notions, but neither were going to voice them in fear of missing something if they didn't ask.

"_Roots hanging above_ must mean somewhere underground. There are very few passages left to the underground, so that shouldn't be too hard to find."

"But if you factor in all the mine shafts that are still active...and even those that aren't. That's a lot of ways to get underground."

"True, true." Rhea rested her chin on a hand and studied the names, mouthing things to herself while trying to make sense of them. Without Rhea to bounce ideas off of, Sara started tracing images that the names brought to mind in the dirt with the tip of a stick and stared at them, though not really seeing. She was tearing apart each sentence of the entry in her head. Without thinking, she stood up and started pacing, whispering things that made little sense. Rhea, who was lost in her own thoughts, paid Sara no attention.

Suddenly, Sara froze. She spun around to face Rhea, not seeing the stump that was behind her, tripped on it, and ended up face down in the dirt. Despite her concentration, Rhea, who was known for always having a smart remark ready, snorted and looked over at Sara.

"Walk much?" she said, laughing shortly at her dusty friend.

"Yeah, haha, laugh at me." Sara said shortly, straightening in a blindingly fast movement. "Listen. What if the five names aren't all separate, but connected somehow."

"Go on," Rhea said, leaning forwards.

"Well, grey rivers and fields of despair could be talking about the realms of despair." she shuddered at the name, though Rhea didn't understand why "And coupled together, Fields of green and high mountains could very well be the divine realms."

"Oh come off it. The realms of despair and the Divine realms are on separate sides of the kingdoms. As if we'd have to go all the way across the land to find one piece of paper."

"It makes sense, though, if you think about it. They don't want the scroll to be found, so the only record of its location would send the searcher on a long journey to test their character. If they really need it, they won't give up, no matter the distance."

"I'll give you that, but why would we have to go through the realms of despair. Nobody ever goes there unless they're sent there specifically. I don't see why they would have journeyed that far to hide the thing."

"They'd want to make sure that the journey was hard enough," Sara muttered, brainstorming out loud "If it wasn't, then they'd find a way to make it harder since the distance mattered so much to them."

"Then why hide it in the divine realms? They came from the divine realms in the first place. Don't you think that if someone were looking for the scroll that's the first place they'd look?" Rhea asked, her tone full of apprehension.

"No, it says that the final place we'd half to go is underground, or so we figure. There aren't any underground passages anywhere in the divine realms, and that's the one thing about this I know for a fact."

"So our best bet should be to go to Torrenta?" Rhea used the common name for the realms of despair with wide eyes.

"It's the only thing we _can_ do for now. I don't want to hang around here with the rebels getting ideas about how to handle us. I've a notion that they're going to raid this camp sooner rather than later, and it'd be my preference to be far from here when they do it.

"I'll gather the troops." Rhea said uneasily, though she tried to hide her discomfort with a small smile. Sara smiled back at her.

"I'll take the west half of camp, you take the east?"

"Meet in the main tent." Rhea nodded over her shoulder, already walking away.

-------

"Quiet down, you guys!" Sara yelled over the chatter that had broken out after she and Rhea had finished explaining what they were going to do. As soon as it was quiet enough that she didn't have to shout _quite_ so loud to be heard, she continued.

"We're leaving the camp stuff behind because it'll only slow us down." That got another wave of loud complaints.

"QUIET!" She silenced them all that time. Narrowing her eyes and glaring at each complainer in turn, she spoke loudly and with force even though she could have been heard at a whisper "If you wanted creature comforts, you should have stayed at home with your mommies. I venture that none of you have ever been on a journey like this before?" head shakes from everyone but her team "That's what I thought. Now, I have been on a trip like this, and believe me. At the end of the day, you'll be glad that I made you leave all this behind. This kind of thing isn't like normal guard duty. There are no breaks, very little time to eat and sleep, and there are no rules. When you're done walking for a full day and you're all hungry and tired, the last thing any of you will want to do is set up tents and an entire camp. Besides all that, I don't want any of you tiring twice as quickly because you had to carry heave packs with tents in them all day long, and I certainly do not want to hear your complaining all day long." Nobody said anything, but just stared at her.

"You won't be penalized or looked down upon for choosing to stay behind with all the comforts of home." Rhea clarified. At the looks some warriors gave her, she smiled wryly and corrected herself "Alright, maybe you will be, but nobody'd dare say it to your face." That got a grin out of most of them.

"So," Sara picked the speech back up "You have your choices. With the way our standing with the rebels is looking, I'm thinking that we move out soon. If you choose to come, pack only what you'll need. By that I mean weapons and sharpening stones and very little else. If you can get along without it, don't bring it with us." More nods. Sara sighed internally. It seemed that all she could get out of Rhea's guards were nods and monosyllabic responses. Seemed they were scared of her. She did a mental shrug.

_Let 'em be scared._ She decided _I've got bigger things to worry about._

_-------_

Sara stood at the front of the camp, watching the warriors mill about. They were packing up what they needed and leaving the rest, hoping to trick the rebels into thinking that they were still residing in the little tent village. About half of the guards had stayed. Sara had pretended not to see those who had bowed their respects to her as they snuck past, back into the forest and to a more comfortable home. The divide was fairly even, she reasoned, out of those who left, between those who were scared to leave the comforts of home behind, those who had heard of her first journey and preferred to stay behind for their families or sweethearts, those who were afraid of what lay beyond the landscapes they had all known their entire lives, and those who were simply afraid of Sara herself. Between the battle and those who chose to leave, they had lost almost two thirds of their warriors, and only a handful remained who Sara was sure were going to stay with them. The rest, she figured, would sneak away on their own while the group was walking, in hopes that neither Sara nor Rhea would notice their absence. Of course, they didn't know about Sara's heightened senses and powerful abilities, or about the fact that she kept tabs on every single one of them. She would know, but true to Rhea's word, she wouldn't hold it against them.

Soon, the camp was clear of anything useful. The journals had been transported back to where they belonged, magically of course since time was a factor, save for the lone journal - the one that had helped them - which Sara held safely in a thick fabric bag over her shoulder. The group of about twenty who stood before her each held weapons of some sort, and a few of them carried bags like Sara's carrying things that they would need, like rare herbs for the healers, and sharpening stones for the warriors, which alone were too cumbersome to carry for any long periods of time. Sara glanced back at the camp, silhouetted along with her group by the sun which was only rising just then. Its weak rays played with the water vapour in the mist and started slowly burning it off. Sara turned to Rhea beside her and sighed before speaking.

"It is way, way too early for this."


	8. Chapter 8

Three days of walking hadn't gotten them much closer to where they wanted to go. A group their size moved slowly, though the numbers got smaller every day. As Sara had predicted, people had started slipping away during the day. So far they had lost two shape shifters, seven warriors and a mage from Rhea's side. The team, of course, wouldn't have left Sara alone no matter what their own feelings were. They figured that as a team they owed her that much.

Now that the group was smaller - comprised of only thirteen including the team, Rhea and Sara herself - there was less complaining. The only ones left were the ones who wanted to be there - the most hardened, most determined and loyal fighters. They were a good group to have on her side, Sara reflected, fighting her way through some particularly thick bushes, slashing branches with her sword. They had just crossed the border into Kantara's neighbour realm, Madlanna. Though the war between realms had officially stopped, the tension was still there, and warriors from other realms weren't welcomed anywhere. They all knew it, even the team, and everyone was all alert. The two mages that they had left both kept their magic at their fingertips, their hands glowing. The warriors had either swords or crossbows at the ready, their other weapons easily within reach.

The midday sun filtered playfully through the trees, warming their backs and faces as they walked. Despite their awareness and the tight air of anxiety around them, everyone in the group was in a relatively jovial mood. They were talking and getting to know one another, bringing them all closer together, allowing them to act more as a full team rather than separate individuals. As if to prove it, the group suddenly turned almost as a whole. Sara turned last, searching in the wall of green for whatever - or whoever - had broken a twig behind them. The five mages lit up their hands fully, the warriors held their weapons in guard position and the shape shifters changed into their preferred forms. Catherine stepped in front of Greg, who in turn stepped back, out of the way.

"We know you're there." Sara called strongly, willing whoever was in the bushes out with her voice alone. It worked. A man stepped out, his eyes wide with surprise. He held two hands out in front of him in a gesture of surrender. He was tall, with wiry muscles and brown hair tied back into a ponytail. His eyes were a piercing grey colour that looked like ice. Sara could hear the shift of fabric as members of her group leaned away from the newcomer uneasily. She looked at him cautiously, judging whether or not he was a threat. Testing his power with hers, Sara figured that he was about a level nine mage. Out of the seventeen possible levels of power, nine was excellent for the age he looked to be, considering his clear lack of immortality. Immortals and divines alike had an air about them that revealed their state of being immediately, and he didn't have it.

"Who are you?" she asked roughly, looking him over from head to foot looking for a mark that would give away his realm. Each realm had a specific tattoo that each member bore to determine their citizenship. He didn't have one visible, which annoyed her to no end. When he didn't answer, she took one mennacing step closer to him.

"Name. Now." She growled, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Akona." he told her, meeting her eyes. Sara looked at him, now confused. When he spoke, his voice captured her attention strangely. He had a faint accent that sounded vaguely british, but it was hidden deep in his speech, so instead of changing its sound, the accent just softened it slightly.

"Akona from where?" Even though he somehow fascinated her, she knew that she had to keep up a tough exterior simply because of what they were looking for. It reminded her vaguely of their first journey and how they had to keep everything a secret from people they didn't know and even some they did. Looking at her team with her periferal vision, she felt a momentary sting of guilt knowing that she still hadn't filled them in on the second prophecy.

"Akona from Yelago. Who are you?"

"Alkina from Kantara." She answered automatically. He smiled softly at her, drawing her attention to his face. When she looked at it, the first thing she really _saw_ was his eyes. Their grey that had looked icey at first now looked warm, like some kind of molten liquid in pools beneath his lids. She kept his gaze while he grabbed her hand gently and shook it.

"Nice to meet you Alikina from Kantara."

"It's Sara." she corrected instinctively, and then kicked herself mentally for giving away so much to someone she knew so little about.

"Well then, it's nice to meet you _Sara_." He pointedly shook her hand again, clearly trying to relieve some tension and clear the air. Sara looked down at their linked hands the moment he applied a small amount of pressure. Something strange happened when she was touching him like this - something she had only just noticed. It was as if someone was pricking her hands with heated needles. The feeling wasn't unpleasant, but rather quite comforting. Her skin tingled after he let go of her hand, and she could still feel the weight and heat of his palm clutching hers, though it was once again resting at his side. She eyes him cautiously, evaluating him for the second time, testing to see if there was more to him that she had missed. She was certain that there wasn't, but after the second evaluation, she still was unsure of why he had such a strange effect on her. It was something that felt different than anything she had ever experienced before, and the strange thing was...she liked it. Even though she knew nothing about the man, she felt close to him - like she had known him forever. She wanted him to stay with them...to fight with them. More importantly, the almost electric charge that she felt looking into hs strange icey eyes made her feel powerful like she never had before.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked suddenly, his tone casual.

"Probably not. I have a very common face." If he hadn't recognized her as the Ruler already, she wasn't going to push it. Despite the strange closeness to him that she felt, a very vocal part of her mind reminded her that it could be magic, that he could be manipulating her, and he could very likely be working for the rebels who were searching for the same thing that they were.

"I don't think that's it. Are you around here a lot?"

"No." She gave him a short answer, hoping to deter his interest while still answering the question as not to seem suspicious. She knew that it was an extremely delicate balance that had to be kept to keep her out of suspicion.

"Where are you going in such a large group?" Sara cursed silently, wondering why they had to run across the one person who needed to know everything about them.

"I don't think that's quite your business." she said curtly, stripping away the earlier pleasant tone she had masked her voice with.

"And why not?" his tone hardened as well, and he drew himself up until he all but towered over her. Despite her growing unease, Sara kept a controlled front.

"You are in no way involved, and could just let us be on our way. Of course, if it's no burden to you."

"How can I let you pass when you're travelling towards my realm. I know nothing of your intent towards the people of my home, and it would be irresponsable of me as a citizen of Yelago to let you by alone."

"What do you propose then?" Sara asked, secretly thrilled that this intruiging stranger was hinting at joining them. What she didn't know was that he was secretly as jazzed as she was.

"I have to accompany you." he said

"And what if we refuse?" Rhea asked, joining Sara in front of Akona.

"I can't let you refuse." He let a glowing magic slither down his arms in a snaking teal-goldenrod glow, capturing it in his hands.

"Yet you don't control us, and our numbers are larger, so I fail to see how you could pose a problem." Grissom watched the two women banter with the new man, noting silently exactly how good they were at handling certain situations. Rhea was clearly born to lead. She took over forcefully and kept order in any situation and kept it under control, much like she was now. Sara was also a natural leader, but she understood that there didn't need to be two forceful leaders in a group. In situations such as the one they were experiencing where Rhea started talking and taking the reins, Sara stayed in the wings as a strong but silent support. Akona, confronted with both of them, looked uneasy - as if he was unsure of what he had gotten himself into.

"I have no option." he said after a beat, keeping up his strong exterior "I _am_ loyal to my realm. If you intend to cause it harm it is my duty to stop you."

"And if we don't intend to harm it?" Sara asked, stepping in between a now angry Rhea and Akona.

"And am I to take your word?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but that is not an option."

"We'll make it an option." Rhea growled, pushing past Sara with her hands wildly flaming black and red. The guards that she had brought with her stepped up to her side, their weapons drawn. Nick stepped up to the line, growling in the form of a lion. Warrick joined him on his left, sword drawn and ready. Grissom took a position on the other end of the growing line, his hands alight. Catherine and Greg, of course, took their positions behing the main line, ready to help. Though understated, their part in any battle was essential. Akona looked lonely and vulnerable standing in front of the massive line on his own. A small force as he was, Sara admired his resolve. Even facing their line of mages, warriors, shapeshifters, healers and guardians, he stared them all down, letting his magical glow pulse in his hands, ready at a moments notice. Though she didn't totally agree with a full frontal attack against a sole mage, Sara didn't have a true choice. In the world that they were operating in, a fight had only two sides. Whichever one you chose, you stuck with. There was no grey area, no neutrality, no 'on the fence.' She chose her group right from the start, and even though the new stranger intruiged her, she had to stand with them until the end. Taking her position at point of the line, she flicked her hands downwards and revelled in the comfortable rush of power that came with the explosion of magical colour. She stepped forward, past Rhea, until she was toe to toe with Akona. They both knew that neither one of them wanted to make the first move, though it was clear that a battle was imminent. Sara raised her hands and hardened her gaze when she suddenly found herself unable to move.

Staring at her opponent with a murderous glare in her eye, she waited for him to finish what he had clearly started. Nobody else seemed to notice her paralyzed state, though they seemed confused as to why both she and Aknona weren't moving. With a puzzled expression on his face, Akona looked at her with his hands blazing, raising them as well, clear to take the first shot. Then, before he could hit, he was frozen as well. Before either of them could utter a word, someone stepped forwards that surprised them all.

"What are you doing?" the new woman asked, reversing the spell that she had on them both.

"Holding my own just fine." Sara snapped, still glaring at the man across from her. He, however, was staring at the new woman.

"You're in the Ruler's espionage service." he said, identifying her instantly.

"Yes," she answered "I am."

"That's not the point, Violet." Though Sara was pleased to see her old friend, she was confused as to why she had stopped the fight. All Sara had to do was think her question and Violet read it straight from her mind.

"Sara, you don't want to fight him, and he doesn't want to fight you. The only person who really wants a battle is Rhea, and she'll get over it." Then she turned to Akona "How did you recognize me so quickly?"

Being in the espionage service within the government, Violet was one of the least known members of the Ruler's committee. Generally, those who knew her by sight alone were somehow involved in espionage, which if Akona was would be the worst possible thing that could happen to them.

"I...saw you at last year's annual gathering." Violet stared at his face for a split second before shaking her head at Sara.

"He's lying. He's a spy."

"Then you have two choices." Sara said, eyeing him suspiciously "You either join us...or we have to kill you."

"That's not much of an option." his eyes widened and darted around their surroundings

"There's no way out." Rhea said, leading the group into a circle with Akona and Sara in the centre.

"Will you join us?" Violet asked walking around the pattern of the circle slowly, almost as if she were a cat stalking its prey.

"I can't betray my realm." he said nervously meeting her eyes.

"Lying's a trend for you, isn't it." she rolled her eyes and turned to Sara "He wants to come with us but he's scared of you."

"Of me?" her stern expression broke and she smiled "What's scary about me."

"Listen," Rhea said, stepping into the middle of the circle "as interesting as this conversation is, I'd really like to get moving sometime...I don't know...today maybe?"

"Impatient, isn't she?"

"As always." Violet grabbed Sara's arm "I'll tell you on the way."

"Rhea, if I ask you to give him guards, you won't hurt him, will you?" Sara asked with a wry grin

"I won't." The dark mage scowled and pointed to a man and a woman. She gestured towards Akona with a flick of her wrist. "Don't let him out of your sight."

"Is she lying?" Sara murmured to Violet, for her ears alone.

"I don't know." Violet whispered back, a wicked looking smile lighting up her face "I don't spy on my friends."

-------

"Well it's certainly not The Four Seasons..." Rhea muttered, surveying the sheer cliff in front of her. The solid rock wall was the only thing even close to enclosing the meadow they had stopped in.

"If you want to shell out seven hundred dollars a night for a bed and a shower, be my guest." Sara shot back "At least the grass is soft."

"Yeah, because I totally dream about sleeping on wet grass every night."

"Just be happy you _get_ to sleep." she waved a hand in the general directions of Akona and the guards who had volunteered to watch him all night. "They get to stay up all night and walk all day tomorrow."

"Remind me again why you don't just transport us all over there? Heaven knows you're powerful enough."

"Not quite." she made a face "Besides...where's the fun in that?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot what a ball this is."

"Honestly Rhea, you know exactly why not."

"You and your stupid morals." she rolled her eyes "There's no real rule forbidding it, you know."

"In my world there is. You can magic yourself over there if you like, but I'm going to keep on walking."

"You know if I could, I would, but unfotunately I can't. I don't understand why you're so opposed to making your life easier with what you've got."

"Drop it, Rhea. I have bigger things on my mind than your problems with my moral values."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. People, I guess...numbers...fighting." she sighed "It's been like...a week and this thing's already taken over my mind. Imagine what I'll be like after a month."

"Who are you thinking about?" Rhea's eyes glinted myscheviously and she raised an eyebrow, nodding in Akona's direction "Him?"

"He's a factor, yes."

"I smell a scandal."

"You smell nothing." Sara hit her playfully "It's not like that at all."

"So what _is_ it like?"

"It's the fact that we ran into him at all. It got me thinking."

"About..." when Sara didn't answer right away, Rhea sighed "Whether you like it or not, you're going to have to give me _something_. I'm just trying to help."

"Well, prior to running into him, I wasn't thinking about opposition at all, other than the rebels of course. He got me thinking...what if he wasn't so friendly?"

"He didn't exactly greet us with open arms."

"You know what I mean. What if he had been a whole group of people more powerful than us, set on sending us back the way we came? What if he had fought us and won? Or taken away so many of our fighters that the next opponent we met would finish us off? What would that mean for these realms...for these people?"

"You're reading too much into it. Even if he had been any of those things, what could we have done? We're going to have to fight somebody sometime."

"Listen Rhea," Sara sighed, turning her head away from her friend "I know it might look different to you, but all this..." she waved her arm around the meadow "it scares me a little...more than a little, actually. It terrifies me every morning when I wake up and remember what were doing...what's going on...and most of all what could happen if we fail." Rhea opened her mouth to protest, but Sara held up a hand to silence her "It comes naturally to you. I know that, and that's why I made you Ruler in the first place, but you have to understand...it's been years since I've lead a group this big. The last time we had a journey like this was the last time I was in power. I have hoards of superiors at work, and even more in my world. In yours...in this world...you're almost at the top of the ladder. Only the divines stand in your way, and you know that they'd go out of their way to help you if you asked. You're at the top, Rhea, and you always will be. Me...I'm not. Even when I'm here, you're the one that everyone recognizes as the leader. You're the one who they come to when they want someone to make everything good again. I'm just someone in the background who helps you out when I'm here. I don't know what to do if we run into trouble...I stopped thinking that way after I went back, and since everyone wants me to be in charge like last time...there's so much pressure."

"It's not like that." Rhea said almost tenderly

"It is. You know it and I know it. They look at me like I'm some sort of divine creation, like I'll have an answer to anything. Everyone's relying on me to make this work out...to find things that can help us, to lead the way...I can't do it all." she let her face fall into her hands "Don't you get tired of it? Of everyone scrutinizing your every move?"

"Of feeling like if you do something wrong that you'll be a failure to everyone? Or feeling like you have to be perfect? To fill the shoes everyone expects you to?" Rhea said softly, picking up where Sara had left off "I do feel it, Sara. Every day I feel it. You just don't get how lucky you are. You can go back to the mortal realms and live another life...one where you don't have to be perfect all the time. You can do anything in the mortal realms. You can lie and make bad decisions and swear once in a while and call in sick because you're having a bad day...I can't do any of that here. If you lie, people think you're a liar and kick you out of your position, and then the realms are in chaos. If you make bad decisions, they effect everyone, and then...more chaos. If you accidentally say something bad in public, everyone thinks you're a bad leader and they won't trust you ever again. Even if you're sick...or say you are...they call up a healer who comes in, puts their hand over your heart, says a couple words, and ta dah! You're all better. I have no escape Sara. This is about as good as it gets for me. That's why I can do it without thinking like you can. _This_ is my vacation." They both lapsed into silence after that.

"That's sad, you know." Sara said after a beat, never raising her voice above a whisper "What you just said."

"It's true though. You'll fall into the groove of it after a while. You did before, and you will again. It just takes some time to see that now...no rules apply to you. The world is your oyster. You can do anything you want, and since we have to keep all this a secret anyways...nobody but us will know."

"Even with all that though...with the freedom to do anything...we can't really do _anything_."

"That made no sense."

"Think about it. You say we can go anywhere and do anything. That's not true. In this world, as you know already, it's all about power. Who's bigger, who's stronger, who's more powerful...So, say we want to get into a village, and all the villagers stand at the gate and say that we can't go in. Their numbers would be bigger, so they would have the upper hand. We're too small. Thirteen of us against however many of them...we wouldn't last five minutes."

"So your issue is bigger numbers?"

"Mmhmm." Sara stared at the horizon for a while, a small part of her brain keeping tabs on the fact that Rhea wasn't talking. It seemed that she had as few ideas that Sara did. After an uncalculabe moment of staring at the setting sun, Sara finally spoke up "I'm bringing Jordan back."

"Hmm?"

"I know she'll help us if I ask her to, and at any rate, she was with us the first time around. It just...doesn't feel right doing it without her."

"She's probably the only one you'll get. You know that, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone else who helped us...I don't think they'll be so jazzed about helping us now. I mean...Vera and Mato are never coming back. Most of the warriors have dissapeared...nobody knows where Ara is. Felina pretty much left after the last battle. I heard she went nuts...but that's just a rumour. The rest of them...they've moved on. They have lives or families or something. I don't exactly know what, but...they're not going to come back."

"Violet did."

"Yeah, but who knows how long she's going to stay. I mean, she spends most of her non-working time with Rain."

"She still powerless?"

"Mmhmm. Vi has a healer friend of hers staying with Rain all day. She's not doing too well." Rhea sighed "Everybody's surprised that she's held on as long as she had...though nobody would dare say it to Violet's face. Sometimes...if you look really close or catch her when she's distracted...you can see it in her eyes."

"See what?" Sara whispered hoarsely, tears shining in her eyes as her mind painted the picture that Rhea was laying out.

"How hard it is for her...how much it hurts. I mean, she works all day almost every day and keeps up this exterior. It's like a mask on her...like the real Violet's gone and she's just a shell. She gives reports, recruits people into her service, trains them...you name it, she does it in a day...then she goes home to Rain. If you follow her, she's living in this shithole in the basement. Everyone democratically decided that we were going to pay rent to live where we worked, and they made the price high. I, of course, don't have to pay, but everyone else does. The logic behind that is basically that it'll keep them honest and humble. And they can't magic up the money either. They have to earn it. Granted, I don't like it much, but if it keeps them all happy..." she focused her gaze on Sara again "Anyways...I followed her down there once to see what she did after work. A lot of us go out together usually, or just hand around the Great Hall. She never comes, and I wanted to see what she does, so I went down there with her. I don't handle finance and housing, so I didn't know what she was paying for, so I was pretty surprised when we went all the way down into the depths of the basement...you know where it's all cold and the floors get a half inch of water when it rains...and she actually stopped there. Each room has one bed...which Rain uses, and there's a chair that I guess the healer who stays with her uses. She goes down there, thanks the healer, and sits there for hours...just watching. I stood at the door, watching her through the cracks for hours, and all she did was talk. I doubt Rain even heard her, but she told her about everything. Who had a baby, who's secretly stealing funds and who she's going to arrest tomorrow, what realm is doing what, what the weather was like...everything. She even spent a solid hour talking about the pros and cons of monarchy and then launched into a long monologue about personal caligraphy."

"Why?"

"She's lonely. I followed her more than once, and she started talking about her past. Sara...Rain's all she's ever had. Now that she doesn't even have that...she's dying inside. After all that...after all the one sided discussions...she cries herself to sleep. Gets like...two hours before she has to get up for work. She's going to rot down there, but she can't afford anything more. I mean...I'm doing what I can to help, but I can only do so much. I feel so sorry for her."

"And now she's out here helping us for free." She looked over at Violet sleeping on the ground, her features lit up softly by the dwindling flame of the campfire, and though about how much their friend was giving up just to be there "I'll see what I can do for Rain."

"How? We've already established that you're not powerful enough to help her yourself."

"I'll talk to Ammariah." Sara massaged her temples, lost in thought "Maybe if we can get in contact with Rain's major deity they can do something to help. Even if I can talk to Nyx...I don't know...I'll figure something out. It just seems that this has gone on longer than it should have."

"Believe me, it has."

"I don't doubt you for a second."

"You bringing Jordan in tonight?"

"Good a time as any." Sara sighed, realizing how much harder this had all gotten. She closed her eyes an let the wave of power overcome her, washing over her senses leaving behind a familiar calm that made everything seem completely simple, making her feel as if she were in control. She reached out with her senses to find Jordan's magical signature. Her conciousness latched onto it quickly - Jordan's signature was one that was almost as familiar as her own - and she sent a hard to ignore message straight into Jordan's mind. It didn't project words, only a sense of urgency. Moments after Sara had let go of Jordan's signature, her friend was standing in front of her in her pajamas - too disoriented to change her appearance as she normally would.

"This had better be good." she said, her voice woolen with sleep.

"Sorry for waking you."

"I wasn't sleeping." she lied, believed by neither Sara nor Rhea

"Well I'm sorry for disturbing you then." As soon as Sara registered Jordan's familiar attitude she felt a pang of familiarity that almost took her breath away. Since she had just come to the realization that what she was dealing with was way too much for her to handle alone, having her best friend - her partner in crime and the one person who understood her sometimes more than she did - standing in front of her, within reach, just made everything seem that much better. Purely on impulse, she grabbed Jordan and squeezed her into a hug. "I missed you, you know."

"I know." Jordan whispered, hugging back "We'll talk later?"

"Yeah." she let go with a small grin "So...I kind of need your help with something." Almost as if she had flipped a switch, Jordan's smile dissolved into a measured neutral expression, her mouth set in a serious line.

"Sara, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time."

"Jord," she said, shaking her head hopelessley "You have absolutely no idea."

* * *

A/N: Hope you all liked it! Please review and let me know. Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I know that through all of this I've sort of been ignoring the team, but I promise that I'll bring them into a more central role really soon. I just had to lay the groundwork for what's coming later in thr story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! If you want to see something that's not here, feel free to mention it. Hope you like the chapter!

* * *

"Well," Jordan said after Sara had explained their situation "That's...interesting."

"Just interesting?" Sara raised an eyebrow

"I honestly don't know what to say to what you just told me. You sort of blindsighted me with all of it."

"I understand." She sighed and dropped her head into her hands "I mean, it took me by surprise too. I'm so confused."

"Well, you seem to have a pretty good plan in place already, so that's something at least."

"You call what we have a plan?" Sara looked up at her with a bitingly sarcastic expression "Walking to places we _think_ are mentioned in hopes that we find the scroll before the rebels? That's not a plan; It's practically going in blind."

"You're being melodramatic."

"I am not. Do you even _know_ where we're going?"

"You just told me, remember?" Jordan asked dryly

"Yeah, and they're dangerous. I mean, when was the last time you've been to the realms of despair? They've only gotten worse, and the people there won't be too friendly towards us. Then there's going underground with the possibility of a cave-in or being cornered in a narrow stretch of tunnel..." She groaned "We're all going to die."

"Oh stop it." Jordan smacked her hard on the back of the head "You are _not_ going to die. You are going to find the scroll before the rebels, you'll destroy it, take back the GCM, imprison them all, and everything will be just fine. Understand?"

"You didn't need to hit me."

"I did and you know it. So are you going to stop obsessing over what _might_ happen?"

"I don't know, alright?" Sara snapped "I don't know half the people who are supposed to be on my side, and there's a glaringly large possibility that we'll fail, or even if we find where it's hidden that I'm not the one they're talking about and we won't be able to do anything, so excuse me if I'm freaking out just a little bit."

"Just relax. You'll do a great job and you'll be fine."

"Yet you keep saying 'you' almost as if you're not planning on joining us. That doesn't exactly put me at ease since you're supposed to be fearless."

"First, I never said I was fearless. Second, I'm not sure if I want to do this a second time. The first one was hard enough for me, and I have a pretty steady thing going back on in the mortal world."

"Are we talking about your steady thing with Damien, or a stable life overall?"

"Overall, and leave Damien out of this."

"That's a factor though, isn't it?"

"Of course it's a factor." Jordan said angrily "Everything's a factor. You know what happens if I die here. I don't get to come back in the mortal realms, and I won't live forever regardless like you will. I have everything to lose here. I would think that with as much as you know about my past that you'd understand why I don't want to give up the life I've built for myself."

"Well I don't. I thought I was supposed to be your friend. You always said that you'd stick by me no matter what, and here I am asking you for a favour, and you balk. Am I just supposed to take that after all the promises you've made!?"

"Just because I'm your friend doesn't mean I have to give up my life for you."

"I just always thought that you were the one person I could trust." By this point, both women were yelling, angry tears streaming down both their faces. A few heads were turned their way, easily hearing every word exchanged.

"I am, but that doesn't mean I have to do this!"

"So are you saying that the one time I need you more than ever you're just going to abandon me!?"

"Who gave you the right to tell me what I should and shouldn't do!? You can't order me around like you can the rest of these people!"

"That's what Ruler means!"

"Am I your subject or your friend?" Jordan asked, her voice suddenly dropping. There was a slightly tortured expression in her eyes.

"You're both."

"I can't be a subject to you while still being a friend." The tears, even though they hadn't stopped, were clearly those of sadness. "And since you didn't say friend, I'm more your subject than anything."

"Jordan, you know that's not true." Sara whispered, instantly on damage control "It's just my title that makes this hard."

"If I'm really your friend, then there shouldn't be any confusion."

"There isn't."

"There is and we both know it. I would have helped you as a friend, but as a subject I choose not to." she waved a hand around herself, letting a shimmering wave cover her "Bye Sara." she said quietly, and then she was gone.

"We didn't need her anyways." Sara mumbled to herself. Looking towards the horizon, she noticed the shadowed faces of those who were watching her and Jordan. After a glare from her, they all dissapeared and she realized then, looking off into the distance and seeing nobody, that she felt more alone than ever.

-------

"You're not really as callous as you seem, are you?" Sara groaned and rubbed her eyes as she woke up. She looked around and noted in annoyance that it was still dark out and she should have still been sleeping.

"Shut up." she heard another voice say. Looking in the direction of the voices, she saw the man they had taken captive - Akona - and the two guards watching him. The one who had ordered him to be quiet - a man named Donnie who she wasn't immediately too fond of and another named Jacob who she rather liked.

"Were you talking to me or someone else?" she asked Akona, walking over to the three men.

"You." he answered pleasantly, seemingly unaware of the fact that his hands were bound and that he was being guarded.

"About what?"

"Your little fight with your friend."

"Apparently we're not friends." Sara said bitterly before realizing who she was talking to "But we're allies." she corrected defensively.

"Apparently not." he said with a sympathetic smile.

"I thought I told you to be quiet." Donnie said gruffly, glaring at him.

"You guys can take a break." Sara said to the guards, looking at Akona with a calculated neutral expression "I can handle him."

"You sure?" Jacob asked, standing up and stretching his arms

"Positive. I'm awake anyways."

"Thank you." he shot her a grateful glance and walked off with Donnie.

"I'm still watching you." Donnie said darkly, glaring at Akona. Jacob smiled faintly and then they were out of sight.

"He's something, that dark haired one." Akona said with a short laugh.

"Donnie? Yeah, he is." Sara smiled lightly and sat down a short distance from him.

"So, about your friend."

"What's your fascination with her?" Sara asked angrily

"I just think that you're making a mistake."

"Oh really? So enlighten me. What should one do in this situation?"

"I think you should make up with her."

"Do you now? And why would that be?"

"I know that you don't really want to be mad at her - that you're just acting like this to hide from everyone how you're really feeling because you think that if they see you hurt that you'll seem weak, and you're the type of person who doesn't like to be weak. That's why you two are such good friends in the first place - because she's the only one who you'll let inside your brain. She knows you, and you know her, and that's why her choosing not to join us hurt you so much." he said matter-of-factly. Sara froze and stared at him, trying once again to figure out what he was. He described her thoughts perfectly and her relationship with Jordan even more perfectly. She knew he wasn't a mind reader because she had looked for it the first time she had tested his abilities, but his knowledge of the inner workings of her mind were extremely in depth and it scared her more than a little.

"You could just ask, you know." he startled her

"Ask what?"

"Who I am. You keep trying to figure it out yourself, and by the look on your face you're not getting anything from it."

"Fine then." she said, hiding her growing discomfort "Who are you?"

"Akona from Yelago." He smiled "I'm a mage. Level nine. Born to two mages. Born in the Garilin village. What else?"

"How can you read my mind?" she asked instinctively, not thinking of time or place or anything other than the man sitting in front of her and the question at hand.

"Now that is an interesting predicament. Can you take these off?" he asked, gesturing to his restraints. She paused, studying him for a moment. With a small nod, she put her finger on them and they broke, falling from his wrists to the ground. Almost immediately after, she grabbed his palm and placed hers above it, letting a brief swirl of her magic draw a design on his skin. It would restrain him if he tried to do anything harmful, but it was more comfortable than traditional restraints.

"Thanks." he said with a small smile

"You were saying?"

"Oh, yeah. About the mind reading thing?"

"How can you do it?"

"I don't know." Sara could tell that he wasn't lying, though she didn't know exactly how or why she was so sure. "It's just...I can look at you and almost sense or...feel what you're feeling. It's like your face is a book and I can read every single page."

"So you just know?"

"Yes. It's strange because I don't know how I can tell. When you two were arguing I could almost feel the tension and emotion as if I were arguing with her myself. I don't understand how I could be so sure about something, but it goes without saying that what I see and think about you is completely correct." Sara studied his face for a moment, not looking for anything but trying to get a handle on what he was saying. She knew that he wasn't lying partially because she felt the same way he did, in the exact same inexplicable way that he had described. There was something between them that she could just vaguely feel. It felt almost as if there was a path between the two of them that allowed their perceptions and emotions to travel freely from her to him and in turn from him to her. She was confused because she had never heard about something the likes of which she felt, and since the realms were full of gossip, she would have expected to.

"You're confused." he said knowingly, meeting her eyes.

"Not at all." Sara replied smoothly. The one thing she remembered through her racing thoughts was that she still knew very little about him and that to protect herself and her warriors she needed to hide any vulnerabilities from him. Even if he knew her thoughts perfectly, he could still use them against her at any time, especially since he had been so hostile earlier that day. She knew that as much as she wanted to trust him, she couldn't until she knew who he was and what he was capable of.

"I'm very hesitant to believe that."

"Then that would be your problem alone, not mine."

"Hmm." he said with a small smile that seemed to have some hidden meaning behind it. She didn't want to find out what it was since the possibility to know him inside out with merely a look unsettled her.

"So," he continued, breaking her thoughts "Tell me about yourself."

"As the leader of a group as big as this, what makes you think that I would reveal information about myself to you willingly?

"I fascinate you, and you know that unless we're talking you won't be able to find out anything more about me. You also know that the only way I'll keep talking is if I hear what you have to say about yourself. The reason you know all of that is because you can sense my thoughts the same way I can sense yours - though only if you're looking at me, which you won't do unless one of us is speaking, and as of now that person is going to have to be you." Sara silently cursed whatever force had brought this unwillingly closeness between them. She glared at him, though she doubted that he could see it in the early morning's darkness.

"That's aggravating." She pointed out. He simply stared at her and motioned with one hand for her to talk. She shook her head and rested her chin in her palm, waiting for him to break the silence. He didn't.

As the time passed in silence, Sara couldn't help but look at the man across from her. He confounded her in a way that she had only experienced a handful of times before, and only once with another person - Grissom. Both men were the same in the sense that they were an enigma to Sara. Grissom because of his brilliant mind and strange emotional responses to everyday situations; This man simply because he was a mystery. She didn't understand anything about him from his thoughts and emotions to how he could sense hers flawlessly. She rolled over in her mind the very little she knew about him, and the things she wanted to find out. Something that kept recurring in her thoughts was the same thing that bothered her the most - how much she wanted him to know her inside and out. It was an illogical response on her part since she had been trained to keep everything from someone like him if she were in a position of power. She wanted to find out more about him so she could base her trust on something other than a strong gut instinct, but the only people truly capable of discerning between truth and lies was someone with the power of a divine. Sara mentally cursed again because she had only recently lost the goddess given power that she had received on her last big trip to the realms. The power she had been given - that with the force and strength of a divine - was only temporary and though it had worn off shortly after her first major journey had ended, it had taken time after that to fade completely. She looked up into his eyes, once again marvelling at the complexity of them, and noticed that he was also staring at her. He raised an eyebrow and nodded his head to prompt her and she sighed.

"Fine. My name is Alkina of Kantara, usually referred to as Sara, which is my mortal name. Born to two mortals in the mortal realms, brought to Kantara by a Goddess, given my ability by divines. I'm 38 in the reality, but I'll live much longer than that if I don't get killed here."

"You're immortal." he phrased it not as a question but a statement. She nodded, though she understood that he was just clarifying. He knew that she was immortal as did everyone who met her when she wasn't cloaking her state of being. It was easy to tell simply by a person's appearance whether or not they were immortal or divine, though nobody could quite put their finger on why that was.

"So, tell me more about yourself."

"I work for the Ministry of Defence and Informative Services in Yelago." he said without dropping a beat. It became clear to Sara that he trusted her much more than she trusted him. "I work in the Collective Knowledge Department."

"Espionage." she said, leaning forward in interest.

"Roughly, yes. I collect the information for my realm that needs to be collected."

"You spend much time in the mortal realms?" The air about him and the way he carried himself suggested that he didn't leave the magical realms much, and any information she could get about his day to day life would only solidify Sara's mental profile of him.

"Rarely. I prefer the freedom of being in these realms. The mortal realms are full of confusion and chaos in my eyes - everyone doing different things and striving towards different goals. I see no sense in it, so I choose not to take part. This way of life is similar for everyone, in the sense that priority one is always the protection of the realms. There is good and evil and two sides to every argument. No neutral area to confuse you like there seems to be in your realms."

"That's one way to look at it." she said, amused with his point of view. It was like talking to a child, and in a brief reflection she realized that he reminded her of a child in many ways. His face - his eyes in particular - were softened by a pure innocence that, even though she knew he had seen many things in his job as a spy, made him seem like he knew very little of the world at all.

"Why don't you trust me?" he asked suddenly, surprising her with the intensity in his voice.

"Because I can't." she replied honestly, sensing only confusion in his voice. That coupled with the innocence all his questions possessed would have made lying impossible.

"If I can trust you, how come you can't trust me?"

"I don't know who you are."

"I told you."

"You could by lying. I hear that spies are good at that."

"But I'm not. You know that. I know you can feel it."

"I also know that powerful mages can dumb down their abilities to lower their perceptible level, and that the same kind of power can make someone feel things that they aren't really feeling."

"You think I'm controlling your emotions? Deceiving you?"

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that I don't want to think that, but it is a possibility that I have to keep in mind in order to keep everyone here safe."

"You couldn't just trust me based on instinct?"

"No." she answered solemnly, though the thought of throwing away all of her training to trust him the way she wanted to was appealing to say the least. She battled internally over the idea - one side of her mind against the other; logic against heart. It was surprisingly hard to think about him - about trusting him - and the intensity of both sides of the argument happening in her head surprised her.

_It hurts me to see this happen to someone I care so dearly about,_ A deep male voice said, projected straight into her mind. Sara whirled around in surprise, letting blue-green fire engulf her hands.

_Oh, stop._ The voice said _No need to be overdramatic. It clearly pains you to think about trusting this man, so you must test it. Keep in mind that this is only temporary. Very, very temporary. Just remember, during your quest, that you're not just a child of the night. _Then Sara felt a surge of power overcome her, though she couldn't see it. When it was over, she looked at everything with a strange new feeling of being able to understand all of it. She knew that the power she had just received could only be from a divine, though she didn't recognize the voice or understand why someone other than Nyx or Ammariah would bother with her. With her newly heightened senses and mental ability, she realized that the power she now held would give her the ability to set a formal truth spell on Akona to tell if she could trust him or not. A smile slowly spread over her face, and she let a wave of her new strange coloured magic creep towards Akona, wrapping around his legs and snaking up his body until he was completely wrapped in it. Then, it grew tiny tendrils that seeped into his skin and travelled through his body and mind, searching for anything he could be hiding - any answers to her questions that he had kept to himself. Sara was almost shocked when the spell finished and flowed back to her, relaying the information. It told her what she had partially already known - that what he told her was the truth and nothing but. She could trust him absolutely now, knowing that even though he had the ability to, he had hidden nothing from her, even if his life had somehow depended on it.

"Now do you believe me?" he asked casually, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Maybe." she shook her head in disbelief. Yes, she believed him, and she knew that he understood that. Even with this new trust in someone who she didn't know, some things had to remain a secret, which was something that annoyed her to no end. Everybody Sara knew or had met - even those who she trusted absolutely with her life - didn't know everything about her. Her state of being, which was uncharted territory even for her, was something that had to remain a secret from everybody. The fact that she was so latently powerful coming from two mortal parents and the fact that she had the ability to draw strength from all of the elements and chance power at her will was an indicator that she had a power level higher above most of her type. It was something that both her major Goddess, Nyx, and her minor goddess, Ammariah, had stressed since they had first met her and realized what she could do. Even if she trusted someone as absolutely as she did with few like Jordan and now Akona, she had to keep it from them, for, if they were ever captured, tortured and forced to tell all they knew about her, the consequences would be disastrous not only for her and her allies, but for all the citizens of the realms she ruled.

"You don't talk much, do you." Akona said calmly, looking at his surroundings almost as if he were bored.

"I just met you." she snapped, becoming annoyed with his inability to sit quietly while she thought. Even though he could somehow sense her feelings, he couldn't read her mind, and for that she was grateful.

"Yes, but you know you can trust me." Her annoyance vanished as his innocence shone through. He seemed to be truly confused - not stupid in any way, but perplexed to meet someone he could understand so completely but whose reasoning was so different from his own. In his mind, the moment he knew that he could trust someone absolutely, he would tell them everything and do anything for them. If Sara had asked him to bite off his own arm to help her, he would have done it simply because he trusted everything about her - every decision she made and every action she took he would believe was for the best, even if it wasn't, just because she was who she was in his mind. Sara, on the other hand, looked at things in a big-picture sense. She looked at everything logically, and with the past that she had, she had to get to know someone before trusting them, even if she knew that trust was a given and that lies weren't an option.

"I know I can trust you," she tried to explain patiently "but I don't know you at all. You're just as much a stranger to me as you were when we captured you. I don't trust like you do."

"So...where does that leave us?" Akona didn't want this person who had just become _someone_ in his mind to resist from having a relationship with him. Even if she didn't want to be a pair the way that he wanted them to be, he wanted some sort of connection with her other than the inexplicable one they seemed to have.

"How about we just be friends first?" She suggested. He gave a mental shrug. It was better than nothing.

"Alright," he held out a hand in a greeting traditional to the magical realms as well as the mortal. "Friends it is." Sara smiled and shook it, not realizing that she had unknowingly gained a strong ally and with it more power than she ever could have imagined. Whether it was the power of numbers, the power of trust, the power of friendship or a new type of power was something that she would find out later, and that would change her life forever.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I know it was kind of a Hallmark ending, but there'll be more sooner rather than later (I hope) so thanks for sticking with it! Please R&R and hope to see you all next chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

Grissom stared disdainfully at Sara and Akona. He didn't know how, but overnight they seemed to have developed some kind of bond that he didn't even pretend to understand. He noticed that she had even taken his restraints off. The way she was acting went against almost everything she had taught them. He glared as they both laughed about something that he hadn't heard. Being the only other one awake, he had nothing to distract him other than the two people sitting a ways away, and they weren't putting him in a better mood.

He didn't like Akona; not that the man had done anything to wrong Grissom, but it was the way he acted around Sara, almost as if he belonged by her side. He was so at ease that it made Grissom sick. Sara was supposed to be _his_. After their last trip, they had become so close. He found out that she loved him as he loved her, and that had drawn them closer together, but as time went on and as they fell back into their old routine, they had drifted apart until they were back at square one. She was his subordinate and his colleague. Yes, they were friends, but not close enough to feel as if they had a connection. The way this new man had just come into their group and formed a connection with someone Grissom couldn't begin to form a relationship with annoyed him to no end. A small part of his mind told him that at least someone was willing to treat her like a person instead of a leader, but a more vocal part told him that there was something strange about this Akona character, and that he should watch out for him. Since Akona was new and a captive, the general assumption was that he couldn't be trusted and that he had something to hide - something Sara had taught them herself - yet here she was, acting like she had known him forever. He was more than confused. He privately suspected that Akona was using Sara for something, but he couldn't tell for sure. As a CSI, he prided himself in having heightened perception, and he thought that Akona looked at Sara in an unfriendly way when she wasn't paying attention. Thought he didn't know for sure, and was in no place to start making accusations, he was certainly going to watch out for Sara, because even if she didn't love him anymore, he still loved her and would make sure she was safe.

-------

"Where'd Jordan go?" Warrick asked later that morning. He had woken up around the same time as the bulk of the group, and as everyone was milling around and preparing for the day, he was talking with Sara - something he always enjoyed but never seemed to have the time to do.

"She left." Sara muttered darkly, glaring at the ground as if it were the cause of her sudden discontent.

"Why?"

"I fought with her." That took Warrick by surprise. He had seen Sara and Jordan together before, and they almost never fought seriously. It surprised him further because Sara knew as well as the rest of them that more warriors were important and that in the society they were fighting in, numbers were everything.

"Are you stupid?" he asked flatly

"No, Warrick, but thanks so much for that boost to my self esteem."

"You're the one who kept talking about how we needed more trustworthy, experienced fighters, and you're telling me that you drove one away?"

"It was a complicated issue."

"You're also the one who told me that we never let personal feelings or problems interfere with battle. You should know it better than anyone."

"That doesn't exactly apply in our case."

"Regardless, you should bring her back. We need her on our side."

"We might not work well together after that." Sara admitted "We both said some things I'm sure we both regret, but she's hard-headed."

"From my experience, so are you." he told her gently "Even if you two won't work well as a pair, you should still bring her over."

"Why should I do that when her presence would hinder more than help?"

"Sara," he shook his head unconsciously, wondering what had clouded her mind so much that she wouldn't be able to see an obvious answer "The rebels know what side she was on last time. Think of what would happen if you left her alone and they got to her. They'd use her against us and then they'd have leverage that we can't let them get. They already have something over us because of their numbers, and if we're going to do this for real, then we'll need an advantage because we can't launch a full frontal attack."

"You're right." she sighed "I'll go talk to her."

"Good." Warrick nodded, pleased "It really is the best thing for everyone."

"I know." Sara smiled at him "When did you get so smart?"

"You taught me well."

"Thanks." she grinned

"So you're going to talk to her?"

"Yeah." she looked up at the sun's placement in the sky "I'll go now. Tell Rhea where I went. She's in charge. Tell her to get everyone moving and that I'll catch up."

"Got it." he rose and held out a hand to help her off the ground before realizing that she was already standing. He withdrew his hand with a small smile and walked out of the tent, looking back just in time to see a blue-green pulse emanate from the opening left by the tent flap, and then he knew she was gone.

-------

"Jordan?" Sara called quietly, her voice echoing in the hall. Jordan's house was dark in the Georgian night, and though Sara could see just fine, she didn't want to intrude.

"Now what do you want?" Jordan asked angrily, appearing almost out of thin air.

"I want to talk to you. Civilly this time."

"Talk _to_ me or talk _at_ me?"

"To you."

"As a subject or as a friend?"

"A friend." Sara sighed "I don't want it to be like this between us."

"Neither do I, but I have to figure out where I stand with you."

"You're my friend, Jordan. You always have been. You as a subject _does_ come second to that, but leading again puts everything in a different perspective if I'm not thinking about it. You should know that."

"I guess I did all along." Jordan sighed and sat down on her couch, looking up at Sara "I just don't want to die doing this."

"Would any of us let you die?"

"No, and I think I knew that too. It's just that my mortal life is getting so easy that I don't want to leave it behind. It's instinctive."

"As it should be, but bad things could happen if we left you here."

"You're thinking of the other side coming to get me?"

"Warrick reminded me." Sara nodded "And then that would bring the issue of crossing between realms and that would just make things harder for everybody."

"I know, but I already did this once. It's a hard decision."

"I know. I'd probably be having the same problem if I wasn't bound to the issue."

"Bound?" Jordan raised an eyebrow with a wry smile

"Morally bound." Sara grinned "You know what I mean, though. I won't hold it against you if you choose not to join us."

"I really appreciate that," Jordan looked down at the fringe on a blanket and started playing with it, not meeting Sara's eyes "but at the same time it feels wrong to let you and everybody else go into battle and risk your lives while being a sissy with mine."

"You're not being a sissy. The instinct for self-preservation overpowers everything else when it's strong enough, and we all know how dangerous this could get."

"There's a lot of weight on both sides." she sighed "Can I think about it?"

"Take your time." Sara nodded "I know this is hard."

"Thanks for understanding. I won't take long."

"If you choose to come with us and tell Ammariah, she'll take care of your mortal life like she did mine."

"Okay. That makes it a little easier."

"So you're not mad at me anymore?"

"No. I don't think I ever was. Just annoyed more than anything, and kind of tired. The fact that you'll let me think about it sort of mended anything that might have been..."

"Unmended in the fight?" Sara asked with a smile

"Yeah. So we're both good?"

"Yeah. You had reason to be mad anyways. I was being...less the diplomatic about what I wanted."

"Not your fault. You're under a lot of stress. I'll get back to you soon with my decision soon, alright?"

"Okay. I'll let you think about it." she let her magic flow down to her fingertips, holding its power in her hands.

"Wait," Jordan stood and her face softened "Do you want to do something for a little while? Just...be us for a bit?" Sara looked over at the wall clock and thought for a moment.

"Yeah, alright. For a little while." She switched back to her mortal appearance and sank down on the couch with a smile, revelling in the momentary knowledge that - if only for a little while - the world was near to perfect.

-------

"You were gone for a while." Rhea said, her tone almost accusatory. True to her word, Sara had found the travelling group quickly, noting with satisfaction that they had moved a fair distance from where they had set up camp the night before.

"Sorry. I was talking to Jordan."

"I was kidding. Is everything good with you two?"

"Yeah, I think so. We just hung out for a while...sort of got back in line."

"That's good." Rhea nodded politely. Sara sighed.

"Just ask the question. I can see it on your face."

"Is she fighting with us?" Rhea looked almost embarrassed for a fraction of a second, but quickly brought her expression back into the measured neutral one she usually wore.

"She said she'd think about it. At this point I think that she's leaning more towards staying in the mortal realm and taking her chances with the rebels, but that could change."

"I know it as well as you do." Sara shrugged

"I guess all we can do is wait."

"Hopefully they won't make a move until we get our act together." Rhea said, referring to the rebels.

"You can never tell with their kind."

"I know. These ones seem kind of...overly persistent."

"They have a lot to lose if we beat them. If we were in their position, we'd be persistent too."

"_When_ we beat them, Sara." Rhea corrected with an expression that Sara couldn't decipher.

"Sorry. So, have you seen any sign of them since this morning?"

"Nothing." she shook her head "I'm going to take that as a good sign and just hope that our luck stays...well...lucky."

"Nice." Sara laughed shortly "They're probably digging around our old camp trying to find something of worth. If I'm right though, they'll be on our trail soon enough."

"We'll be well ahead of them if we keep up our pace." Rhea looked over at Sara momentarily, her expression thoughtful.

"What?"

"Well...Vi and I were talking..."

"About Rain?"

"Yeah. We think that we might know how to help her."

"How out of our way is it?" Sara asked with a sigh. Suddenly Rhea's hesitation to talk made perfect sense. They didn't want to desert their friend, and they certainly didn't want to let Violet down, but as leaders they both had to weight the positives against the negatives, both understanding that if Rain's location was too far out of their way that it would give their adversaries a chance to catch up on them and possibly trap them depending on the location.

"A day and a half if we move fast. And that's a big if."

"You said she's in the basement of the GCM. That's back the way we came and _right_ into their hands. As much as I love Violet..."

"Yeah, well..." Rhea looked uncomfortable and a bit embarrassed "I lied about where Rain is."

"Don't ever lie to me about important stuff ever again," Sara snapped, her voice ringing with power all on its own.

"Sorry." Despite herself, Sara almost laughed. Rhea - the extremely powerful Ruler of eight kingdoms - looked scared.

"So where is she really?"

"You know those lodgings on the border of Garilin and Caprety?" She was referring to the small land where the GCM and its village were situated - that was Garilin - and Rain and Violet's home realm, Caprety.

"Are you joking!? Those are the worst lodgings in the realm!"

"I'm sorry!" Rhea actually cringed, but Sara didn't find it funny at all this time "I told you that everyone democratically came up with the whole paying for stuff idea, and I couldn't do anything about it. Where she is now is actually an improvement from where they were living before. I've helped as much as I can, but Vi doesn't make all that much, and what she does make goes mostly towards keeping Rain alive. My hands are tied, Sara. There's only so much that even I can do."

"But Caprety, Rhea!? You know as well as I do that it's the coldest of the eight realms. She's going to freeze."

"Say what you like, but she said she wanted to be closer to home."

"Okay, so what's this idea?"

"We figured that if we can get Rain away from where she is that we can find someone to restore her power, and then she can help us."

"That's not much of a plan at all."

"It's all we have, and I know it's bad, but we thought that maybe you could help."

"How?"

"Well...I don't want to sound presumptuous in saying this...but you're the one of us who's closest to her major deity. Earlier you were talking about asking Nyx to talk to Rain's deity, and we think it could work...since Nyx has so much power and all..."

"So basically you're saying that you want me to go ask Nyx to intervene? Isn't there any other way?"

"We don't know. Neither of us has those kind of abilities, and you're the closest thing to someone who does."

"Have you talked to anyone else?"

"No."

"Well...we'll see if they know." Sara waved Catherine and Greg over from the side of the group where they were talking to a few warriors. Catherine had found another protector in the group and had launched into a long discussion with her about something that Sara didn't fully understand. When they saw her gesture, they both politely broke off from the conversations and walked over.

"What's up?" Greg asked, reaching the two women first.

"We have a question about healing." Sara told him. Even though Greg was a young healer, and inexperienced in many ways, each ability gave the person a certain instinctive knowledge, and Sara was hoping that if she tapped into that, Greg would have an answer for them.

"Ask away."

"Well, you remember Rain? Violet's sister?"

"The powerless one?"

"Yeah. Her."

"What about her?" Catherine asked

"She's still powerless, but we're looking for a way to change that."

"You want to give her her powers back?" Greg's eyes were wide. He knew what a reach that was.

"Powers or enough strength to fight with weapons."

"Well..." Greg closed his eyes, concentrating on something happening inside his mind.

"I've only ever heard of someone getting their powers back from a deity or a really powerful mage." Catherine added while Greg was thinking.

"That's all we've ever heard of." Rhea said with a resigned sigh. If Greg didn't have anything for them, they would have to decide between Rain or their heightened safety as a group.

"There might be one thing we can do..." Greg said mysteriously, at that moment looking powerful and all-knowing.

"That we can actually accomplish?" Sara's voice was hopeful, though she wished it weren't. False hope would be the downfall of them all if she didn't keep her emotions in check.

"Maybe. Ara..when she was still here...told me of this one woman...I think her name's Mefina...who might have something to restore lost power."

"Mefina the Wise Woman." Sara nodded "She devoted her life to helping everyone in these realms using no magic whatsoever, though she has it. Her logic was that if ever there was an instance where magic wasn't enough...or couldn't be used for some reason, that there should be another way of doing things. She says that people are too reliant on their magic, so she set out to figure out how to live without. The divines were so...moved, I guess, with her efforts that they granted her immortality so she could continue learning."

"Well, she might have something for us if I remember correctly." Greg said

"I remember hearing that too, actually, now that you mention it." Catherine said, her eyes shining. She looked to Sara "Think we'll be able to help her?"

"Well, she does live on the way to Vi's place." Rhea also looked to Sara, a pleading expression on her face, using the full force of her dark eyes on Sara. Greg used his ever effective puppy dog eyes, and Sara broke.

"Alright, alright." she said "We're going to see Rain."

"Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Violet squished them all in a hug, running over even before Sara had finished talking.

"You were listening." Rhea accused, her voice muffled by Catherine's shoulder.

"I couldn't help it." Violet's words came out in a rush, melded together by sheer excitement. "I heard Rain's name come up and ohmygod I can't believe you're actually going to do it!"

"Vi, it might not work." Sara didn't want to crush her friend's spirits, but Violet needed to understand the truth.

"I know that, but you're actually trying! I can't believe it! Ohmygod I _have_ to tell people." She broke the hug and rushed away, a whirlwind of excitement.

"I was afraid of that." Rhea muttered to herself

"Me too." Sara sighed

"You all know what this means, don't you?" she addressed Greg and Catherine as well.

"Uh...no." Catherine answered shortly. Greg's grim expression gave away that he understood completely.

"It means," he said "That now, unless we want to crush her, we can't fail."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks to ishotsherlock, crowned tiger and csiaddict2 for reviewing last chapter! Hope everyone reading likes the chapter!

* * *

Sara had sent Rhea to brief the entire group of their new plan of action - travelling to visit Mefina the Wise Woman to see if they could restore Rain's power. She, Warrick and Catherine were all crouched over a projection of a map that Sara had produced. Warrick's finger was hovering over an invisible line through a dark patch of the map whose terrain markings showed heavy rockery.

"This is the shortest route." he was saying, letting his finger skim the surface of the projection.

"It feels wrong." Catherine shook her head and traced another route around the dark area "This looks better."

"It will add two days on to our trip." he argued "That's two days we don't need."

"Warrick, I can feel that there's something honestly not...right with that place."

"Catherine..."

"No, she's right." Sara said, fingering a spot within the dark patch cautiously, though almost longingly "Protectors have an instinctual feel for a place, even if it's just by name. Even if she can't explain it, she's going to be partially right every time, just because of who she is." Catherine nodded her thanks.

"So you're saying we should tack two days on to our trip that we could avoid."

"Not at all. I was just explaining why we need to take Catherine's intuition in to account."

"So, you agree with Warrick?" Catherine asked accusatorily.

"I think that this is a decision you two are going to have to come up with on your own. I trust you both to pass good judgement and keep us safe."

"Thank you." Warrick said soberly with Catherine nodding fervently beside him.

"It's time that somebody other than Rhea and I took the reins in some of these decisions," she continued "If we are ever incapacitated or...otherwise...then someone else will need to take control, and you two will make a good team. Warrick, just be sure to listen to Catherine's intuition, and Catherine, remember that Warrick is a warrior, and even if you feel wary about something, we will have protection. Come see me when you have a decision and we'll make the preparations."

"What is she thinking?" Catherine said as soon as Sara was out of earshot. "This is too complex for just us to decide. She could do it herself, or give it to the other, more experienced warriors."

"I understand her reasoning." Warrick murmured, looking back to the map and tracing other possible routes with his finger. "Can you come mark a starting point for me?"

"Sure." She placed her finger on the spot that he indicated and watched him work "So what is her reasoning then, if you know what she's thinking?"

"I don't know what she's thinking, but I know where she's coming from. If she were to be...unable to lead, then she would need someone else to take her place without thinking. Warriors do it all the time; it's one of the first things I learned - never have a new leader out of sight."

"Yeah, but why us?"

"I don't understand that. Maybe she trusts us." he took her arm gently and placed a finger on another point on the map. She smiled and looked down to where she was pointing.

"So what route are you looking at now?"

"I'm seeing if we can go around somehow through here," he guided her hand over a light blue area "but it would add unnecessary time to our trip."

"How about through this forest?"

"No good. That darker area there is a cliff. We wouldn't know how to navigate down until we get there, and if we find that there's no way down..."

"Okay."

"Tell me about this feeling of yours." Gently taking her hand in his, he let it hover over the dark area.

"You are aware that it hurts me a little, right?" she tensed

"It'll only be for a second."

"Alright. If it'll help." she sighed and drew both their hands downwards so they passed through the map. Connected to Catherine, Warrick's hand stung for a moment before she let him go.

"You alright?"

"Fine. Now, as for the feeling...it's hard to explain. It feels like somebody is applying a very slow, intense pressure to your stomach when something's wrong. Almost like being punched in slow motion with warning alarms screaming in your brain."

"And when something is good?"

"It's like feeling every single happy experienced in your life, only amplified by a thousand. You wouldn't even believe how...magnificent it is." Warrick grinned at her shining eyes and glowing face.

"Well, taking this feeling of yours into consideration, how do _you_ want to go?"

"Do you think that if anything happened that we could be protected?"

"Well...by myself I can cover two without a problem, probably three or four if I were pushed. Sara could probably cover...four...maybe five without breaking a sweat,"

"I can cover Greg...and maybe one more."

"And I don't know how many Nick can take."

"So, just with us, that's...eight or nine on a regular basis and seventeen under duress."

"So we should be able to take maybe...ten with us if we were anticipating danger."

"You want to do that? Take the black route with ten or twelve and send everyone..."

"Along the pink route?"

"Seems to be the shortest route other than the black one."

"It'll add a day..."

"I'll take it." she said quickly with a small, triumphant smile, snapping her fingers and closing the projection of the map.

"I think we're on our way to becoming fine leaders." he said with a smile

"Careful, that could be considered treason." Catherine's voice was low and right next to his ear. Warrick shivered at her tone, and she laughed. "Kidding. Come on, we have people to tell."

-------

Sara proved to be more difficult to find than either of them would have thought, and the sun was hanging low in the sky before they came across her. She was seated in the midst of a group of Rhea's warriors, eating something cark pink that looked like a vegetable, though neither of them could tell.

"You're a hard woman to find." Catherine said in greeting, sitting down beside Sara.

"You two found something already?"

"We found something a couple of hours ago, but you weren't here." Warrick said flatly.

"Sorry. I didn't expect you to work so quickly, so I left with these guys." She gestured to the men and women who were currently keeping them company.

"Go anywhere interesting?"

"Patrol interesting to you?" She speared something else with the blade of her knife and popped it into her mouth. With a wave of her hand, the map-projection opened up again in front of them and she pointed to it. "Show me."

"Well," Catherine stood and traced their first route - the black one that felt wrong - with the tip of her finger. "We figure that we can get about...ten people safely through this route."

"And," Warrick pointed to the pink route "The rest around this one."

"Sounds good..." Sara measured the scale with her fingers and put it roughly along both routes "Pink one's longer?"

"Yes. But only by about a day...roughly."

"And the alternatives?"

"Taking the whole group through the black area," Catherine replied "which feels wrong to me. Or we could all take the pink one, which would add unnecessary time to our trip and possibly give the rebels a chance to catch up with our group and cause damage." Sara studied the map for a moment before nodding.

"Good solution. Tell everyone the plan."

"Who's going where?"

"You, Catherine, Greg, Grissom, Nick, Jordan, Our Captive and I will all go to Torr..." she stopped the sentence and regrouped her thoughts "...through the black route. The rest will go with Rhea by way of the pink."

"We can take more." Warrick suggested "Even up the groups a bit..."

"The groups are fine as they are." Sara said vaguely, clearly dismissing them with an almost regal wave of her hand. Catherine stood straighter and bristled, not taking kindly to being treated as unequal. Before she could utter a word, Warrick placed a hand on her arm and shook his head softly. Something about his expression - forceful and commanding yet soft - made her stop and nod back, silently agreeing to leave with him and let Sara be.

"What was that about?" she asked in a whisper "She has no right to treat us like we are servants here do to her bidding."

"There was something wrong, Cath." Warrick replied in the same low voice "Maybe it has something to do with your 'feeling' about the route we're taking, or maybe it has something to do with her patrol, but either way, it would do more harm than good to get in an argument with her right now."

"When did you become so perceptive." Catherine let out a resigned sigh.

"Comes with the territory." he shrugged and led her away.

-------

"You sure you don't want more of us?" Rhea asked Sara for what had to be the tenth time.

"I'm positive." They were standing at the point where two trails split. One led to the black route, and one to the pink. Sara kept glancing anxiously down the path to their route, looking up at the darkening sky and back.

"So we'll meet at Mefina's on the other side?"

"Yes, if we don't find you first."

"We'll stick to main routes as much as we can." Rhea nodded her agreement "See you in a couple days."

"Good luck to you, Rhea." Sara saluted her with a formal half-bow.

"And to you." Rhea mirrored the gesture. They nodded once to one another, signifying split leadership in a subtle gesture as old as their world, though they expected few others to recognize it.

As they parted, a sense of heightened responsibility seemed to settle on the shoulders of every member of Sara's group, recognizing that they were each required to take on a larger role than they had now that their numbers were smaller. As Rhea and her group travelled further and further out of sight, it seemed to sink in that they were now more alone than they had ever been in this land - still strange and partially foreign to most of them. It didn't help at all that Sara's mind seemed to be somewhere else. Her eyes darted around them as if she expected something to pop out of the forest at any time. As it got darker, she strangely seemed to get calmer and more agitated at the same time. It did nothing to comfort those of her group who were apprehensive about their travels and uncomfortable in the pitch black of the night. Finally, to the general delight of all who were with her, they saw a lightening in the sky on the horizon. As they all relaxed, Sara stiffened.

"That, in the distance, where it's more grey, is where our route begins." She explained in a tight voice "Despite what you may think, it will not be easy, and will not be in any way more reassuring than making this trip towards it. Though there may be more light, the things you will see will be with you long after we leave them. Keep that in mind as you relax, and never let your guard down, for you never know what may be lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting, ready to come out." She left them on that dark note and moved ahead, separating herself from the group as she continued to lead them forwards, ever closer to the unknown land that now looked far more sinister than it had a moment before.

An immeasurable distance passed beneath their feet as they followed Sara along the worn dirt path. The lightening in the horizon was getting closer and closer, lighting up the leaves of trees slowly as they approached. The trees themselves - in fact all of the greenery - didn't look sinister at all. In fact, despite Sara's warning, they were all relaxing more and more as they passed leaf after leaf, waving gently in the wind in a dance of red, green and orange. They autumnal colours were contradicted by the warm wind blowing down the path, gently guiding them towards the horizon. Every time the wind blew, it brought with it a comforting, fresh scent that was different every time. It blew vanilla, cinnamon, rain, lemon, wood, hay, summer...all scents familiar to the team, Jordan and even Akona. Each of them breathed in every time the sweet smelling breeze passed them, making them slowly more docile and calm, more relaxed and friendly. As an unlikely sun burst over a ridge they had just walked over, it cast an ethereal light on everything below, and the entire group, save for one, gasped in awe.

They were standing on a hill overlooking a beautiful meadow. The long, lush green grass blew softly in the sweet smelling wind, that, as they descended, blew the soft, innocent scent of wildflowers softly towards them all. The scent, along with the warm summery wind, wrapped around them and caressed them all. In turn, without even realizing, they each closed their eyes in sheer joy and serenity, allowing their hands to drop and run through the long grass, or bend down and pick a brightly coloured flower from the ground. The sun warmed their faces, the breeze softened their demeanour and the sight made them feel safe. All except for Sara. She was shrouded in a cover of black mist, blocking out the sun and, when they caught a glance through, all of the gorgeous sights before them. Her mood was equally as dark, and still tight. Every time she heard somebody sigh happily behind her, or the wind whispering through the grass, she would stiffen and her scowl would deepen.

Then, as they neared the start of the route, she inexplicably started to relax. As they left the beautiful meadow behind them, the wind turned cold and cut through their clothes like a knife. The sweet, comforting scents disappeared and were replaced a damp, musty scent. Every chilling gust blew away some of the dark mist shrouding Sara, and her facial expression relaxed as she saw where they were, though logically she should have been getting tenser, as were the rest of her group. Even Nick, in his strongest, most fearless form felt uncomfortable. When they passed the border into their allotted route, they could all tell. A wave of something unidentifiable passed over them, making them all stiffen and look around in concern. What they found as their eyes passed over the terrain was that their concern was warranted.

The sky - blue and sunny only minutes before - was grey and cloudy. The musty smell clung to the damp, heavy air and hung around them like gaseous lead. As predicted on the map, the ground was covered in rocks and boulders of all sizes, and any vegetation that managed to sprout up in the infertile soil between the rocks was either brown or grey and clearly decaying. After the beautiful lush field they had grown accustomed to, this was a shock to say the least. Sara, though not completely at ease, was smiling tightly.

"This," she explained "is why I blocked the meadow. It makes it worse in the long run."

"What _is_ this place?" Greg asked, his mouth agape as he took in his surroundings.

"This," Sara's tone darkened, bringing upon them a sense of foreboding "is Torrenta."

* * *

A/N: Please R&R!


	12. Chapter 12

There were people everywhere, each as grey looking as the sky. They were each walking slowly, burdened with different things. Some were towing objects, while some just looked burdened with something that they couldn't see.

"This is Torrenta." Sara repeated, looking at the people sadly "This is where people get sent if they cross the wrong people. The Ruler sent millions, thousands are still sent every year...even if someone crosses a powerful and vindictive mage..."

"What happens to them here?" Greg asked in a soft voice

"They walk forever...until they die of old age. They tow around their burdens in some form or another. The feeling is something like getting your soul taken away from you, or so I've heard. I've never been sent here."

"So that's just...their lives? Nobody cares?"

"Nobody keeps tabs on what's going on in Torrenta. If we want, we can recruit people, and I can help a few of them out." she sighed "I hate seeing how much they hurt."

"Why would they help us?"

"If they leave this realm, the feeling goes away, but they'll be bound to us until I set them free, so they can't run."

"How many can we take?"

"A couple, but not a lot. Nobody really keeps tabs on it, but if more than a few people leave at a time...the people who do watch...they'll hunt us."

"And we're going to be avoiding that."

"Definitely." As she spoke, a small woman walked up to her and gasped.

"You're...one of the..."

"Yes." Sara replied seriously, half-raising her hand. "Would you..."

"You're evil!" The woman shrieked "Never!" Then she ran. Sara sighed.

"And so it begins." she muttered herself, squaring her shoulders. There was a minutely visible change in her demeanour as she moved forwards, almost as if she were scared, or at the very least uncomfortable.

This new characteristic in place, she walked solemnly over to a man towing a large ship whose anchor was lowered. She changed her power as she went - the glowing gave that away - and stood before him, waiting for him to notice her. When he looked her in the eye, everyone behind her gasped. His eyes were hollow and dark - a sign of his suffering. He was an older man with a drab grey beard, dirty, torn clothing, and a skin-and-bones body.

"Are you one of...them?" he asked in a hoarse voice, pointing a bony finger at her.

"Yes." she whispered, her eyes filled with sorrow "Would you like me to..."

"Yes." his eyes shone now, with something that looked like hope. Sara nodded heavily and placed a hand on his shoulder, her magic flowing into him. For a moment, he gasped and his eyes widened, but then the chain that was securing him to the ship broke and he disappeared, the look on his face one of pure joy. The look on her face, however, was one of pain and torment, but she masked it with effort and walked forward, turning to another captive, and then many others, repeating the same process with all of them.

The last one she saw to was the most shocking one of all. This was a relatively young man chained to two poles in a harbour with very strong currents and crashing waves. As the waves dragged him this way and that, washing over his head and throwing him into the air, he remained fastened to the poles, held there by the strong metal shackles that bound him. Even Sara, the most seasoned and experienced of the group, took in a sharp breath when she saw him. She closed her eyes and let tendrils of dark magic reach out to him, releasing the restraints and guiding him gently back to shore. Once on the land, he stumbled and dropped to the ground as if he had forgotten how to stand on something solid - which he most likely had. He looked up at Sara with empty eyes, the hollow sorrowful expression tearing at the hearts of everybody who saw him. Of all the captives she had seen, male and female alike, he was the most pathetic looking, his clothes tattered and wet, the fabric worn by the harsh tide. His skin was shrivelled and pruned, white with dead skin in places where it wasn't grey from whatever in the atmosphere affected everyone there. Unlike most of those who they had seen, his eyes didn't hold guarded hope like the others, but they held a pure, pleading desire for freedom that made every single person in the group re-think what they regarded as necessity and what could just as easily be taken from them like it had clearly been taken from this poor soul.

"You'll be the one to help me?" he asked, his voice surprisingly clear for all that his appearance took away.

"Yes." she said, taking in a deep breath though nobody understood why.

"The things I've seen aren't pretty."

"I deserve whatever you can give me." she replied, sounding as dejected and utterly hopeless as any of her group had ever heard her.

"That I doubt since you are clearly kind enough to set me free while all others have cast me away."

"You don't belong here." she murmured "You never have." He nodded and took her hand, gently kissing the back of it and then offering it to her. She placed his palm above her heart, and her own above his, and let her dark magic wind its way around both their arms, connecting them. There was a moment of utter silence, and then Sara shuddered. The man stood taller, as if having a burden lifted from his shoulders, while Sara shrank under some pressure that nobody could see. With a sudden cry of elation, the man's face broke into a smile and his eyes opened in joy, looking up at the sky as if he were seeing it for the first time, and if it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. At the same time, Sara let out a high pitched scream, wrought with terror, loss, sadness and pain. The man drew his hand away and rose up into the sky, his body now as insubstantial as mist. Sara, without him as her anchor, crumpled to the ground in a ball of tears and inaudible words dripping with the same intense emotion as before. Grissom moved towards her, but before he could complete one step, some unseen force placed a weight on his shoulder that almost felt like a hand, holding him back. He could picture someone shaking their head 'no' and telling him that she needed to handle it alone. Jordan, with her uncanny sense for Sara's thoughts, led them all a fair distance away, stopping their group in a tight circle just out of sight of their now broken friend. All the time in the world could have passed, or no time at all.

It seemed that anything in their present realms lasted an immeasurable moment, and this - witnessing their strong leader so effected by some unseen force - seemed to last longer than anything preceding it. Eventually, when the dark grey sun rose at the start of another terrifying day, she came back. By appearance alone, she looked a lot worse for wear than she had when they had first arrived. Somehow, she had taken on the grey pallor of Torrenta overnight, contrasting sharply with her red rimmed eyes and unnaturally pale skin. It was as if a part of her had died right before their eyes. Everyone was concerned, and with just cause. If she were to somehow weaken, they would almost all certainly be doomed, or at the very least slowed and confused. Almost everyone, though mostly those with who she was close to, seemed as if they wanted to come closer to her, to comfort her in whatever way they could, but the air about her kept them away, as if there was an invisible force around her that repelled any life. Even Jordan - proven to be the closest of her friends - shuddered after one step and stopped, still out of reach.

Sara was now, in spirit at the very least, more alone than she had ever been. Of that they were all aware, though nobody had the strength, the power, or the will to get close to her.

"We have to go." she said shortly, her voice ragged and raw. The only response they could give her was terrified nods. Walking ahead of them, Sara gave everyone a chance to observe her from behind. Each step she took looked like she was making an inhuman effort to life her feet - almost as if she were Atlas, and they were the heavens. She shuddered infinitesimally every time her weight shifted, every time she took a step, even when she looked at something or someone. Nobody knew why, but nobody cared to find out.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Nick whispered to Jordan.

"It's not my information to share." She murmured, watching Sara with one eye.

"Will she be alright?"

"She has to be."

"We all know that," Warrick caught up with them "but does she?"

"Yes." Jordan said, but her eyes flashed between Sara and the rest of the group now clustered around her.

"Is there any way we can hold this together without her?"

"Sara is the most powerful member of this group,"

"Power is nothing without ambition. If she's lost the will to do this then we would be better off without her." Grissom said rationally.

"So the fact that she gave us all this chance means nothing to you?"

"Guys, quiet." Catherine hissed, looking pointedly in Sara's direction. "You know she can probably hear us?"

"I don't think she's hearing much of anything right now." Jordan admitted. "As for your concerns...they're valid. I don't really know what's wrong...but we're going to need to keep whatever it is under wraps until she snaps out of it."

"You don't know what's wrong?"

"I know it has something to do with something that happened in her past and some form that she can take on."

"That's really helpful, Jordan. Thank you for enlightening us."

"It's not my fault. She's really cagey about the entire thing."

"How are we going to deal with this?" Warrick asked softly. "If she's not going to..."

"We're going to have to step up."

"Are any of us...ready for this?" Nick said.

"We have no choice."

* * *

A/N: Hpoe you liked the chapter! Please R&R!


	13. Chapter 13

Their movements were slow, their movements were cautious, and most of all, their movements were filled with fear.

Their leader was silent, and the silence was so frequent that it was becoming less and less strange to all of them. That still didn't cover up the fact that they didn't know how to lead, didn't know how to command a battle, and didn't know where they were going. Rhea had said she would leave what she called 'obvious clues' in a trail for them so the two halves of the group could meet up. They couldn't see them, and for all they knew, they were headed in the wrong direction. The most aggravating thing was - and it was something everyone silently agreed upon - that Sara saw all the signs they didn't. It was apparent in a flash of her eyes or a small, hidden smirk that she could see them, and nobody else could. Even more upsetting than that was the fact that, despite her knowledge of the route they should have been taking, she never lead them or gave them any sort of sign as to which way they should be going. Sometimes she lagged behind the group, and others she ran so far ahead and so fast that they didn't know where she had gone, only to reappear later in a different state that that which she had left in. It was unsettling to say the very least.

Torrenta _had_ had an effect on her, despite everyone's constant denial. Before, she was Sara. Calm, deliberate, with that one temper streak that made her who she was. Now...the change was like night and day. She was unpredictable, wild, ruled by her emotions and distant. Nobody got close enough to talk to her, and if anybody would have tried, she would have pushed them away. Not only did she refuse to lead, but she was no longer a leader. If she had showed any desire to take the head position in their group, chances were good that they would have denied her until she forced them to submit. She could do it, and she had. Only recently, and thankfully, only once. Nobody quite understood the situation, because they couldn't remember it quite as clearly as they should have been able, but she was powerful, and she knew how to use every inch of that power to get what she wanted. She had used it, and she had won. Now, everyone was scared.

The walk was silent. Nobody knew what to say, and she didn't speak often. When she did, it was in strange, guttural cadences that they couldn't understand, and always to someone - or something - that they couldn't see. The only form of communication happened between Sara and Jordan, and it wasn't spoken or easily understood. Violet, in all her mind-reading glory, would have been the only one with a chance of knowing word for word what they knew. Their conversations - infrequent as they were - happened with their eyes and minute changes of facial expression. Occasionally Jordan would mutter something, or somebody would laugh or scowl, but usually things weren't that exciting. One such conversation was happening right before their eyes.

_What are you doing?_ Jordan asked, tilting her head to the side about a degree.

_Walking. _Sara looked down at her feet pointedly.

_With us. With this group. What's going on? _A nod to the group and an exaggerated shrug.

_You know why. _That just took a look.

_I know why. I want to know what. Are you going to lead? _Two exasperated looks and a nod to the front of the group.

_No. _A head shake. Jordan groaned loudly and threw up her hands.

"I give up."

_Good. _Sara countered with a smug look. _I always wondered when, after all of this, I would finally get to you. It's not easy, you know, but I did it. Score one for me, Jord. _The last part was conveyed through the most complex series of looks and fast twitches that any of them had ever seen, save for Jordan, who looked absolutely offended.

"I hate you."

_You love me. _A sympathetic yet chiding look.

"Yeah, I do." Jordan sighed. _You're hurting me, you know._

_Sorry. _That was an expression of pure sympathy and regret on Sara's part.

_I know._ Understanding.

_Thanks._

_How bad?_

Sara winced. _Utterly painful._

_Sorry._

_It helps that you know._

_You could tell them. _A nod to the team. _They would help you. They care for you._

_They wouldn't handle it in the same way. _

_They might._

_You're the only one. _

_Please. It's a big responsibility._

_You offered._

_I was young._

_You still wouldn't give it up._

_What are we talking about? The whole... _She made a deliberate hand gesture, alluding to Sara's experience in Torrenta _Or about something else?_

_You wouldn't give up knowing everything about me. _

_Truer words were never spoken._

Sara laughed. _Where's that from?_

_I don't remember. It's nice to hear you laugh._

_Don't get used to it. It hurts._

_You'll fix it. You always do._

_This one's different. He's...I dunno._

_Tell me._ They were referring to the man in Torrenta who Sara had seen last.

_I can't._

_You've never had a problem before._

_It's not that I don't want to tell you. I just...can't._

_What do you mean._

Now the looks were flying back and forth so fast, it was like watching a ping pong match at twice the speed, all the while walking.

_I can't see them, Jordan. His memories are there...I took them from him like I always take them. The emotions hit me hard, and they were raw and strong and terrible, but the pictures are fuzzy. I can't focus on them._

_What's stopping you from righting the wrongs in his life?_

_If I can't see the memories, I can't know how to fix them, so I'm stuck like this until I can focus?_

_You want to stop?_

_No. The vulnerability is too great._

_You want to lead through me?_

_I don't want to lead at all, even through you. _

_They're falling apart without a lead. Don't pretend you can't see it._

_You know I can. If you want a leader so much, why don't you do it?_

_We both know who the leader is. _

_You could do it._

_You're the powerful one. _

_I could give mine to you, if that's what's holding you back._

_Oh please. You'd be more irritable without it than you are with it._

_Jordan, _For the first time, her expression was openly pleading. _Please. Just drop it. At least for right now. I'm not ready, and neither are they._

_What do you mean?_

_It's going to be different when I get back up there, and they're not ready for the change._

_You've changed a lot already, and they know._

_I've barely shown a third of the change that happened. Even you can't see it, Jordan, but it's there._

_I can see it Sara. I also know that it's what happens to you when you go wherever you go at night._

_I need to act accordingly somewhere, don't I?_

_Yeah, okay. _Jordan sighed. _You're so stubborn._

_Just give me a little bit of a loose rein. I'll come back. _

_Promise me?_

_Always._

_Sara..._

_You know me too well._

_That still wasn't a promise._

_I promise._

They both nodded in sync, and then separated, ending their conversation.

"What do you think?" They both came into a conversation between Warrick and Greg.

"Everyone is tired, and it's not going to hurt us any."

"I'm still put off by the fact that we don't know where we're going." He gave Sara a sideways glance.

"Yes, but we have to stop some time."

"I know." They included Catherine in the conversation with just a look. "Do you know anywhere safe around her for us to stop at?"

"Not by instinct. I'm not the one who can do that." Another look to Sara. "If you show me an area, I might be able to tell. We'll have to be on guard though, regardless of how I feel."

"We know, we know." Greg replied, sighing. He seemed to have matured over the course of their trip which was a double edged sword in itself. On one hand, it was nice to have another mature, ready to lead individual in the group. On the other, he wasn't really Greg without his playfulness.

"You have that map that we were using? We could try and mark a spot on that."

"We all know who has it." Now they _all _looked at Sara. She sighed and flicked a hand at them. The map appeared, hovering like mist in the air. It was a closer up version than the one they had seen before, and moved with them as their fingers moved over it, and as they walked down the path.

"That little grassy alcove looks fine on paper." Catherine touched a map area and it rippled like a pond under her finger. Warrick traced it with his, letting their hands brush in the process.

"I like it." he said with a smile. "If we keep up this pace, we should make it there by dusk."

"I agree." Greg let his eyes roam over their mostly tired and ragged looking group. "We could use the break."

"Excellent, then. Nice to have a plan."

"Yeah, finally." Catherine shot a subtly mutinous glare in Sara's direction.

"Let's just all relax until we get there." Warrick lay a hand gently on her shoulder and turned her away from their inattentive leader. Then in a lower voice he added, "She has to snap out of it sometime. Until then...I think it's up to us."

"I like the us part." she murmured with a wicked grin in his direction. "But I agree. Greg?"

"So do I." he nodded "We've been relying on her experience for everything. Taking over leadership can only benefit us."

"I propose we assign...two people to watch out for these supposed 'clues' Rhea's left for us."

"You and Catherine." Greg said automatically, giving Warrick no chance to say more.

"You want to take our only trained warrior and the one with the fighting instinct _away _from the group?"

"That's why I want you two, though. If anything comes up, you won't need immediate instruction to fight and react, rather you'll go no instinct."

"Yes, that I understand, but I'd put us out front. You always want strength in the front lines, not in behind."

"In a large group, yes. There are eight of us, seven if you don't count the captive. He could turn on us in an instant."

"Catherine?" They both turned to her.

"You want _me _to break the tie?"

"You're the one with the instincts."

"Oh...kay." she closed her eyes and rubbed a hand over her face, wishing she could make them see that her instincts weren't always right, and that total reliance on something that fluctuated so often could be their demise. "I like Greg's idea. It makes more sense and will benefit our group to the fullest extent."

"Alright, then." Warrick said, resigned. "We need a lead."

"Jordan." Catherine and Greg said simultaneously. Warrick shook his head gravely.

"Why not!? She's the closest thing to Sara we have." Catherine ticked off a list on her fingers. "She's been here the longest, knows what she's doing, is more familiar with the terrain than any of us, and she's the only one Sara talks to."

"Won't work."

"And exactly why not?"

"If Sara doesn't want her in front, she won't get there just because we ask her."

"How do you know Sara doesn't want Jordan to lead? I'd think that, as her best friend, she'd be Sara's first choice to take her position."

"If Sara wanted her to lead, she'd have done it by now."

"Maybe she's testing us."

"Why reason would she have for that?"

"I don't know. She's kind of gone..."

"Crazy?"

"So much for being tactful."

"She's not listening."

"She can still _hear_ us. And she's powerful."

"Guys." Greg thrust a hand between them. "If we don't get Jordan, who are we getting."

"I like Nick for this. Strong but silent...calm in a crisis...he'd be perfect."

"I can definitely see that."

"It's a good choice."

"Excellent." Warrick clapped his hands together. "Let's set it in motion."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks to csiaddict2 who reviewed quite promptly after my last post, and who reminded me that this story was indeed in need of an update. Thanks to everyone else who is still reading. I'd love to hear from you all! Even so, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Nick was an excellent leader. He was calm and collected, cool headed and able to control their group with confidence, though it was his first time in such a position. Under his careful instruction, they had almost doubled their distance and had just stopped for the night. They were under a group of high canopied trees, the trunks too close together for the space to be comfortable. Sara had only recently left them for the night. She had slipped through trunks almost unnoticed, and she would have been had they not all been expecting her departure. She had always returned by morning, but they all wondered when they day would come where she would leave them for good.

Lounging around the fire, they were all roasting vegetables and pieces of meat on sticks, save for Jordan who just took the vegetables. Though they had been reminded over and over that they were being followed and needed to be on alert, they were all completely relaxed. Now that they were once again the team they were used to being, they weren't as on edge as they had been previously. Whether that helped their cause or hindered it had yet to be determined, but, unknown to them, that was about to change. The first sign was Sara, who came hurtling into the makeshift camp with a wild look on her face. She had never come back before the night was over, and this in itself was confusing.

"They're coming." she said frantically. The urgency of her words covered up the change in her voice. It was accented with something that sounded vaguely Scandinavian, but soft.

"Who's coming." Warrick asked, watching her pace. "What's going on."

"We've been followed. They've been trailing us the entire time. I'm not sure who they are, but Rhea would have shown us somehow if it was her...I'm sure of it. We need to get out of here _now_."

"We can be packed and ready in five minutes."

"We don't _have _five minutes. We need to move _now_ or we're toast. As it is we can't move fast enough."

"What?"

"I dropped the ball." she admitted, moving inhumanly fast and packing the things they would immediately need. "I should have seen them sooner, but I went north and they came south. They're practically on top of us and they're _flying._ I don't know how they're moving as quickly as they are, but we're going to have a hard time outrunning them."

"We'll fight." Grissom said, silently including everyone. "We've come too far to do nothing."

"I know, but we can't." She smiled at all of them. "And I know you'd all fight for this, but they have a _huge _amount of people, all professional, all experienced. As much as you know I believe in us as a group, we're just not good enough to fight them and win. We have to run."

"Let's go, then. We can leave the stuff here."

"Weapons come with us. We're not building their arsenal if we can help it."

"Everyone grab what you can." Nick said to them. Sara nodded her agreement, and they were off in no time at all.

They all ran through the forest at a breakneck pace, narrowly missing trees.

"This isn't working." Nick called. "We're disorganized...not sure where we're going...we need order."

"Then start making some." Sara snapped, weaving around them, holding her speed to a manageable pace to keep up with everyone.

"I don't know how to deal with this." he admitted. "You have to."

"I_ can't. _Don't you see that."

"Well _I_ certainly can't, and we need Warrick for defence."

"You really are useless, aren't you." she growled. "Jordan."

"What?" Jordan's hair was flying behind her as she ran stride for stride with Sara.

"You're leading."

"I'm no leader."

"Well you're going to have to be. I can't, and everyone else is incompetent. You're the only one left."

"That's not nearly fair!" Catherine yelled, out of breath. "We've been trying."

"Well next time try harder if your idiocy doesn't get us all slaughtered tonight."

"Enough!" Jordan yelled and skidded to a stop. She grabbed Sara's arm and jerked her to a stop, everyone else falling in place. "Sar, if you're not ready to work with us, work _without_ us and leave until you're ready to help. Everyone else, just ignore her and listen to me."

"You'll come across a farm in two miles." Sara said angrily. "Meet me there, and there will be transportation waiting." Then, impulsively, she wrapped her arms around Jordan tightly and hid her face in her friend's hair. "You were made for this, Jord. I'll see you when I see you."

"Sara, you're not seriously..."

"Don't worry about me." Sara smiled. "I'll get us out of this if it's the last thing I do. I'm not letting you all die because of me."

"You can't take them all alone!" Jordan screamed after her rapidly retreating figure. "Damn." She murmured when Sara was gone. Then she turned to the group. "Alright, we have a target destination, let's work fast and get there alive."

-------

Sara tore through the forest back the way they had come. Jordan, of course, had guessed her plan instantly, but everyone else was in the dark, and that was the way it had to stay. Darkness was closing in on the forest - the advantage their adversaries were counting on having. That and surprise. Sara had, unbeknownst to them, taken both from their grasp and shifted the odds in her favour, even though she was one person against dozens of experienced warriors. She hadn't been lying about their odds of victory to her group - they truly were slim to the point of nonexistence. She didn't plan on fighting them head on, and if she did end up in a battle, she certainly didn't plan on winning. Even with the power of the night and all her skill on her side, she wasn't talented enough to take an entire band of warriors on her own, and she understood that. Her plan, if it worked, would confuse them just long enough to give her group a chance to get away.

She saw their foes in the remnants of the camp, all looking around in the tents and poking the fire with sticks. They all looked confused, convinced that they would be coming unannounced. Sara silently climbed up a tree and crouched on a branch overhanging the camp. She watched the top of their heads bob as they moved carefully around the camp. When the sun sunk low behind the horizon, almost completely disappearing from their view, she took a deep breath and pressed a hand against the rough bark. She wished she weren't alone. She wished she didn't need to be. She wished she had a weapon with her.

She wished she wasn't a part of this at all.

Then she eyed the group, looking for the thickest group of warriors. Then she aimed her body.

Then she jumped.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I hope you all like this one. It's been in the works since almost the start of this story (believe me, that's a first for anything I've ever written) and I'm kind of excited to be able to post it. And concerning the The Clash reference...you know who you are...this is for you ;)...if you're actually reading this. I hope you are, because elsewise I look like a crazy person. Well...otherwise, for anyone who likes The Clash, enjoy!**"This is it." Jordan looked skeptically at the farm stretching in front of them. The grass looked half-dead, but surprisingly the horses grazing just inside the fence were well fed and muscular.

* * *

"Do we go up to the house?" Catherine asked, peering at the softly lit window of the small wooden building in front of them.

"Not exactly." Jordan's voice sounded forced and hesitant. "Listen...I know you're all in law enforcement, and so am I, but these are our lives we're dealing with, so nobody yell when I tell you that we're kind of stealing these horses."

"We're what?" Grissom asked in a flat voice.

"Well, Sara hasn't always had such a great regard for the law, and this is for a good cause." She vaulted the fence and clucked to the horses. The animals walked over with insurmountable grace for creatures their size. She opened the gate, and let two of the horses out with her, one a creamy copper colour and the other a dark dapple. "Catherine and Greg, go together. Catherine, you'll have a natural aptitude for this as a protector. Grissom, you come behind me. Warrick, your kind can run faster than any animal as it is, so you'll be fine, and you can take the dead weight," she sneered at Akona, who had been no help at all. "with you. Nick, you can..."

"I know." he laughed. "Become a horse myself."

"Exactly. Everyone, mount up."

"Do we really need to steal?" Catherine was still studying the animal. "Aren't we supposed to be _restoring_ order?"

"If you want to stay here and get killed, be my guest. I, for one, would like to live to see tomorrow." She smiled pleasantly. "But it's your choice." Catherine was up in front of Greg without another word.

"Stay close to me." Jordan said, her voice now low and serious. "If we get separated, there's no telling what might happen." She clucked to her horse and grabbed a chunk of mane to stay balanced with the animal's bouncing gait. Grissom's hands wrapped tentatively around her waist, and then they were flying.

The horses knew the terrain better than any of their riders, and Warrick, they knew, was following their lead. Nick, as a bird soaring above them, had no problem with terrain, and the pounding of hooves was easy enough for his acute ears to follow. Though the lack of saddle and bridle made it hard to balance on the animals careening through the woods, they all settled into some sort of balance quickly.

The hooves churned the ground as they covered mile after mile, changing speed constantly to protect their mounts and conserve their energy. Catherine was fairly adept at steering with her legs alone, and the horses were very well trained. Jordan seemed to be born to the task, and was doing very well despite Grissom's clenching hold on her. For hours they kept moving, only breaking pace when the horses' sides started to heave. They trotted for a while, and when they were sure they weren't being followed, stopped and walked the horses along in hand. Nobody was sure where they were - not even Jordan, their leader, though she didn't say as much to them in fear of upsetting them and causing chaos within the group. When the temperature started to drop, however, they stopped.

"We should wait here." Jordan said, her breath pluming in front of her. "I think we're at the border with Madlanna - the coldest of all the realms. The temperature tells us that much." she shivered. "If Sara's still..." she couldn't finish. "She'll find us."

"Sara's fine." Akona said jovially from his place beside Warrick.

"Oh really, smart guy? And how do you know that? Are your rebel buddies sending you messages to lead us astray."

"No. I'd feel if she weren't alright. And I'm not with the rebels. I'm on your side."

"Yeah, okay." she rolled her eyes. "That's not what any guilty man would say, now is it?"

"It's what every innocent man who's telling the truth would say. Don't believe me, then. We'll just see how far we get with mistrust in the group."

"I don't need leadership lessons from you." Jordan snapped angrily. Then she winced. Akona jumped at the same time.

"Something's wrong." The said in the same breath. They meant with Sara, but it didn't need to be spoken aloud. Everyone knew what they meant.

"It's not too bad, thankfully." Jordan breathed a sigh of relief, but the worry didn't leave her eyes. "We should make a fire and wait for her. She'll have to come soon."

"I'll get on the fire." Greg said immediately.

"What if somebody comes after us?" Warrick wanted to know. "Are you prepared to fight, or shall we run again."

"We'll have to keep evading any conflict. We can't chance a fight right now, without her."

"Then what? If we have to run..."

"We stop when we can and wait for her. We can't stay separated for too long, or..." She didn't need to say it. Everyone knew how bad that would be.

-------

"How long has it been?" Jordan asked for the fifth time, turning to Grissom.

"I don't know. I can't see the moon to pinpoint a time frame. I'd say about six hours at least."

"She should be back by now. Something should be happening." she winced again. "Something good, I hope. She keeps getting hurt."

Akona and Jordan somehow both knew when something bad or painful happened to Sara, though nobody could gather the nerve to ask how. Akona was not on direct speaking terms with any of them, but he was watched, and scrutinized every time he winced or jumped. It always meant something was happening.

"Jordan, you're...uh..." Greg knelt in front of her and handed her a piece of worn, folded cloth. At her puzzled look, he pressed the makeshift bandage to her cheek, and it came off with a smear of blood staining it. Jordan's hand shot up to her eye, and she wiped away a tear. A red tear. A tear of blood.

"Shit!" She screeched, thrusting her hand in front of her as if it were on fire. Her gaze, filled with terror, shot around their small clearing and into the trees around them. She stood and started pacing frantically, her eyes darting back and forth, to the sky and then to the ground. She pressed her hand to her face every few seconds, wiping away new bright red tears. They were falling on the light dusting of snow on the ground, leaving red drops in a rough line as she moved back and forth.

"What does that mean? Nobody ever taught me about this." Greg whispered nervously, watching her with a steady gaze. "Are you going to..."

"No...no. It's about Sara, and it's complicated to understand. I'm not going to die, but she might if this is as bad as it seems."

"Try and explain it. It might help us find her, or point us in the right direction, but only if we all know what's happening."

"I can't." Jordan shook her head. "I can't tell you. I can't even think straight." She brought a hand to her head and rubbed her temples roughly. "I need to know what's going on. I need to see where she is, but I can't." she was muttering more to herself now, and none of it made sense. "I can only see him. Him and his stupid fuzzy memories. Why is she thinking about him now? Why isn't she thinking about _her? _What's happening." Jordan screamed angrily. "_WHY CAN'T I SEE HER!?"_

"Calm down." Akona tried to say over her raging shrieks. "_I _can't sense anything through you if you keep this up."

"I can't control it!" Jordan yelled, exploding in his face. "You think if I could I'd be willing to drive myself nuts with these stupid, stupid thoughts. They're disjointed and I can't...Ugh! I hate this day! I hate these stupid rebels! I hate this! I hate this godforsaken place!" She continued to pace wildly, cursing anything and everything that came to mind.

Finally, after a wait as long as eternity, a figure stumbled through the brush.

"Do you know," it accused. "how hard you are to find!?"

"What happened?" Jordan demanded. The figure proved to be Sara, her garments torn and ragged, the blue turned brown with mud and red with blood.

"Don't worry. The blood's all theirs."

"Some's yours. Where's it coming from?" Jordan wiped a lingering bloody tear off her face and waved it in Sara's face. "See?" They had stopped when Sara had come into view.

"Oh. That."

"Yeah. That. Where is it?"

"Here." Their leader pulled down the neck of her dress to reveal a long, jagged cut along her collarbone and shoulder.

"Ouch." Greg stepped up, taking his rightful place as group healer. "What did this?"

"Double blade, serrated on both."

"So you fought an entire group of warriors alone?"

"Oh, god no. I'm not stupid." she winced as he spread a green paste on the wound. "I took a couple though, and then a couple more got involved, then I started having fun..." she grinned. "Got carried away. I should have been paying attention. It was my own fault that I took as many blows as I did. I gave plenty, obviously, and they're thoroughly distracted, and will be for a while, so we have some time now."

"That was stupid and careless." Jordan said, though her voice had lost most of its edge. "Never again, okay?"

"Can't promise you that. I actually had kind of a good time."

"Stupid, bloodthirsty, power-hungry..." Jordan laughed. "Will you ever learn?"

"Not in this life."

"It's a long life. I'm sure you will."

"Thanks for keeping them together for me." Sara smiled a tired smile. "I appreciate it."

"We got horses, as you wished."

"Theft?"

"Unfortunately."

"We'll return them when we're done."

"When _will _we be done?"

"I don't know. Once Greg finishes cleaning me up, we're on the move again."

"I thought you said you bought us some time."

"I did. Not much. We'll use it to get to safety."

"If that's what you - "

"Done." Greg stood up, pleased with his speed and excellent work.

"Wow." Sara rotated her shoulder. "Nice."

"Don't irritate it. It still has to close on its own, but there's no risk of infection now."

"Excellent." Sara grinned. "Jordan, care to lead the way?"

"We can stop for a little while for a break if you want."

"I'll be fine. Let's get moving."

"Careless..." Jordan murmured. "Alright, Nick you're going to have to carry Grissom one way or another. I don't want to overburden these poor horses."

"I can run." Sara shrugged. "Gris can take the horse. I have a feeling him and Nick..." she laughed. "Well...it'd be a sight to see."

"And you'll be seeing it." Jordan wouldn't budge. "You're coming with me if I have to tie you up there."

"Nazi." Sara muttered, swinging up on the horse. "Alright then, if it's what you want."

"I steer." Jordan glared. "You just relax back there."

"Hop on, Gris." Nick's voice coming from a horse was strange, but they were all too busy calming their frisky mounts to really marvel at the magic that was shape-shifting.

"Keep going on this path." Sara instructed. "It should lead somewhere, with the wear it's taken. Hopefully there will be people there."

"Madlanna is still hostile territory. You want to risk it?"

"At the speed we'll be travelling." Sara grinned wryly. "They won't even be able to catch us."

-------

True to Sara's word, they flew along the snowy Madlannan trails. Equestrianism was bigger here than in any other realm, and there were plenty of small connecting trails sprinkled through the woods, so much that a group on horseback would seem routine, where elsewhere it would set off warning bells. Grissom had come to terms with the fact that he was being carried by his colleague - in horse form, or course - and had managed to find his rhythm quickly. Everyone else was doing quite well. Even Sara was balanced, her arms wrapped loosely around Jordan's waist and her head resting on her shoulder, fast asleep. They were all, for the first time in a very long time, quiet. It wasn't only the threat of attack that kept them silent and vigilant, but also everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. The change in leadership, the theft, the battle they didn't see and their true leader returning covered in blood of opponents they hadn't fought. Even all of that, however, was not as central to their silence as was the change in them all.

Each one of them had changed, in a large part for the better, except for Sara who was dancing on a very thin line between better and worse. The leadership positions they had all taken up, whether they be conspicuous or subtle, had made them all stronger and better, more well rounded warriors, leaders and members of the group. The reason for the shock was because it had all happened, it seemed, in the blink of an eye.

-------

_We've been going too fast for too long. We need to stop._

Nick's voice carried to each group member on a soft gust of wind. There had to be magic in play for him to be heard over the rushing of wind as they ran along the paths. His powers as a shape-shifter allowed him to see into the minds of the animals each human was mounted on, and thus nobody questioned his advice.

"There should be a village not far from here." Catherine said as they slowed their pace. "We can find lodging there for the night."

"Will we be safe?" Grissom asked, directing his question at Warrick instead.

"Yes." The warrior answered. "In a village, particularly in a village inn, we'll be protected by the walls and the other villagers."

"Yes, but will they protect outsiders?"

"That's always a gamble. We'll have to see how that particular village will deal with us."

"I hope they'll be receptive." Catherine added. "I'm getting tired of the cold and all this cursed snow."

"If we move quickly - " Warrick's sentence stopped at Nick's glare. He sighed. "If we keep our current pace, we should be there in half an hour."

-------

The villagers had welcomed their small group with open arms. It seemed that they had been the victims of many waves of theft and pillaging as of late, and the arrival of eight warriors, however temporary their stay, was more than welcome. They had been put up in the local inn, the men and Akona sharing one large suite of rooms, the women sharing another smaller one. The warmth and shelter of the inn and the promise of fresh, warm food and in-house water was edenic after spending so long sleeping, eating and bathing outdoors. The joined the entire village at large, community dinners every night, as was the Madlannan custom, and were expected to contribute to the meal as did everyone. Usually Jordan, Grissom or Sara magiced something up for them, as many of the mages did for their families and companions. They passed three peaceful days in the town, thinking of nothing other than the good times they were having with the villagers. Then, one evening after the community feast, Sara sat Jordan and Catherine down in the great room of their suite and told them flat out,

"There's going to be a battle tomorrow."

"What?" Jordan's gaze was hard and unforgiving.

"Battle. Tomorrow. Between us and our small army of enemies."

"And you're telling us now because...why?"

"So you'll know about it."

"Like you haven't known about it for days. Why didn't you tell us then? Or at least me?"

"I can't make your decisions for you all the time."

"Advanced warning would have been nice, though." Catherine said, a hint of annoyance spicing her words.

"You all have the tools to figure it out for yourselves. I can't be held accountable for you not using it."

"You _can, _however, be held accountable for not teaching them." Jordan's every word held an edge that could have cut through bone.

"They have to learn some things on their own. Hell, I learned half of what I know through self-teaching."

"They're not you."

"I know that, but they can do some things without me."

"Not on the run, they can't. They need teaching." Jordan and Sara were matched, word for word, in any argument they had. Both were hard-headed and stubborn, and both knew the other inside out.

"I can't teach everyone everything. I'm trying to assemble an army to defend my title, if you haven't noticed."

"It didn't used to be about your _title_." Jordan spit out the last word. "It used to be about your people and these kingdoms. You've gotten selfish and lazy and conceited. You haven't done one helpful thing since that trip to Torrenta, and frankly, I've gotten tired of your new attitude, as has everyone else. Not that they'd say as much, fearful of your power and your new temper. Do you know that nobody respects you anymore? Do you know that they only reason anyone follows you at all is because they're _scared _of you? Isn't that what you wanted to stop with your rule?"

"I don't rule eight kingdoms through fear." she said, her tone acidic. Jordan had hit a nerve. "And I just use the power as it was intended to be used. It's not my fault that something I was given is feared by everyone but those who wield it."

"It _is _your fault. You used to explain your power so people wouldn't be scared. You used to help people with it. You used to be a leader. Now," she scoffed. "I don't know _what _you are. I don't even know _who _you are anymore. You used to be my best friend, but now...now I don't even recognize you."

"If you don't like the way I lead," Sara's dark eyes flashed with power and shot daggers at her long time friend. "then don't follow me."

"If I wasn't morally bound to this battle, I wouldn't."

"You're not bound to any others. You're a mortal. You can leave these realms until they're peaceful again."

"I'm no more mortal than you are." Jordan spat. It was, though unfairly so, a sizeable insult to be dubbed a mortal when you weren't. "And if you're set on treating me like one, then maybe I should act like one."

"Go ahead. See how far that gets you." Sara sneered. "You'd never be able to fight against me."

"I'd have no problem taking out the person you've become."

"Silly girl," Sara laughed manically, almost cackling. It sent chills up and down Catherine's spine as she watched the exchange. "I know you could kill me as a person, but you have no hope of a chance against me as a mage. I'm more powerful than you could ever wish to be, and I'm not afraid to use it to get what I want." At Jordan's frozen expression, she laughed again. "Like you said, I've changed."

"To think I shed blood-tears for you." Jordan spat. "I regret the day I bound myself to you."

"If you regret it so much, then leave. We can fight without you."

"You can't possibly expect to win without me."

"So we lose, then." Sara shrugged. "Everyone knew what they were getting into when they agreed to fight this battle. Anyways, I won't die unless they have some tricks up their sleeves that I haven't seen, and I doubt they will. I can always build a new army. So will you stay or will you go?"

"Should I stay or should I go?" Jordan murmured, finding herself caught in a moral dilemma.

"Oh how precious," Sara sneered. "She thinks she's in the Clash. Make up your mind."

"I'm not going to condemn noble, honourable warriors to an untimely death by removing myself from this battle," Jordan said evenly, looking at Catherine. "But after this, I assure you, I will leave you."

"All the better for me then, without having another troublesome mage to deal with."

"You will regret this, Sara, for the rest of your life." Jordan vowed, her voice cold. "I will fight beside you this one last time, but after that, you'll have lost my alliance forever."

* * *

**A/N: Please review! I love hearing from all of you!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate it. And, hey, it makes me update a little quicker, so you profit from it too. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

They came at dawn.

The group was ready for them, backed by some members of the village protecting their homes and families. They were lined up just outside the town on the dirt road leading into it, keeping the thick of the battle away from the buildings and innocent people. They were spread out in their usual, slightly curved line with Sara at the peak. Jordan was standing dutifully next to her, though the tension in the air between them could have been cut with a knife.

The road was dusty on the ridge and all the way down to the village, the early light catching the particles in the air. They shone tan and gold as they clouded around the arriving warriors, settling back onto the earth when their enemies stopped. The opposing group was smaller than they expected, the odds just about even.

Their group was lead by a big, burly man. The stereotype of a good warrior with a large sword on show at his side. It was big and looked heavy, but there was no doubt about his ability to wield it. He seemed to see no one other than Sara, and walked up to her with a murderous glare in his eye. She drew her weapon slowly, watching his steps with a calm eye. In response, he whipped out his blade angrily, displaying minimal self-control.

"You!" He accused, pointing his blade at her. "What did you do with my army!?"

"I'm one person. What am _I _going to do alone?"

"I saw you there. I know it was you. Where are they?"

"Around." she waved a hand absently. "You think I was going to let you swarm my warriors with your army? I had to even up the odds a bit."

"You cold blooded murderer." he spat. "You will die today."

"I don't think so." Her voice hardened. Without a cue, everyone drew into battle positions.

The one thing they had on their side was range of abilities. Their enemies were all warriors with the exception of one mage. The other group, however, had what looked like a lifetime of experience under their belts. These were not villagers who had joined the rebellion. These were trained, dangerous warriors if their scars told as much as their hardened expressions. They weren't scared, they weren't vulnerable, they didn't need to be lead. They could fight alone and win. They were ready.

As per normal, Greg and Catherine slipped to the back as the battle exploded around them. The musical twang of metal against metal filled the air as swords clashed. Every so often the air would erupt in colour as magic hit magic, showering shimmering sparks on everyone, distracting them the first few times, giving those with experience the advantage.

Warrick was locked in combat with the leader of their adversaries, their blades locked at the hilts. The other man was trying to wrench Warrick's sword from his grasp, underestimating how strong he actually was. They were moving faster than the eye could see, within the realm of time open only to warriors. As their blurred shapes moved around the battle, grunts and clangs came from their forms. Neither had the advantage. Warrick was inexperienced but young. While the other man was built larger and had more experience, he was visibly older than Warrick, and that showed in his movements. Sara, listening with one ear to the battle happening around her and her opponent, was the first to hear Warrick's grunt of pleasure as he landed an easy blow on the older warrior. Hit in his sword arm, the other man was forced to switch sides, unbalancing him for a fraction of a second that Warrick used to drive him farther from his warriors and any backup that might come. Slashing and parrying, they disappeared into the woods. Moments before Warrick had the other man enveloped by trees, the old warrior found his fight again and got on defence. Warrick was now placed on the offensive - a position they had found he did not take to well - and gave up his attack to stay away from the man's swinging blows. As one strong blow missed him by inches, he held up his sword to ward off another attack and had it knocked clear out of his hands. Jarred by the weighted blow, he was off-balanced and stumbled. On his way to the ground, he saw the blade coming down towards him, its wielder with a sick smile on his face. The next seconds were filled with terrorized screams and flashes of pink and white. Catherine's smile registered in his head as she waved her magically glowing hands and he picked up his sword, filled with a new resolve and the feeling that he had to protect this group - this woman - with every ounce of strength he had.

Put off by the blast of magic and Warrick's quick recovery, the older man swore and brought his blade back up, using his injured arm to wield it, the pink-white gash on his opposite arm allowing him to support no weight with it. Warrick, grim faced, took another well aimed slash at the man, opening a shallow but painful gash in the centre of his chest. With a bellow that shook the trees around them, the other man rushed forward, the point of his blade in line with Warrick's heart. It was a mistake, and a rookie one at that. Warrick simply stuck out his foot and watched the man sprawl to the ground. He was about to plunge his blade through the enemy leader's back when a wave of colour crashed over them, knocking everyone on their side to the ground. Their opponents all gathered at the speed of light, taking their leader between them and disappearing into the forest.

"What was that?" Grissom demanded after the initial stun wore off.

"Their mage." Sara grimaced. "Powerful little shit. He had me distracted and got them out of here. Don't know why I didn't see it."

"See what?"

"His tactic. I know it well. I've studied it and used it before, but it's a simple strategy. I thought he'd try something a little more...advanced. Oh well." she sighed. "At least we left a dent." Their dead were sprawled around the clearing, their blood turning the ground red. "Nice job on their leader, Warrick." He just nodded his acknowledgement.

"They're going to be on our tails now that they're so close." Nick pointed out, licking a wound from his lion paw. "We're going to need to find Rhea soon."

"Okay, first off, please stop doing that. Your voice coming from an animal is weird enough without having to watch you wash yourself. Just turn back into a human. Please." Catherine said, half joking. "And I agree. We can't last in a battle like that again, even if the numbers are the same. We're just not that good."

"I know, I know." Sara sighed. "It's too hard to keep going like we've been going. We'll find Rhea, get to Rain like we planned, and then see what we can do from there."

"Where is Rhea? We'll still need to find her, and who knows how long that'll take."

"I know where she is." Though she had finally admitted what they had suspected all along, it brought no relief. Whatever comfort this new knowledge brought, it was overshadowed by the fact that Sara had in fact lied to them, albeit by omission, and had done something that had hindered their progress as well as almost cost them their lives.

"How long?" Catherine was both exasperated and annoyed at the behaviour of their "leader" and was beyond trying to understand why she did what she did.

"Couple of hours if they stay where they are."

"Will they?"

"I don't know." She said, her voice changing in tone, warm and cold at the same time, hiding some secret meaning. She winked at them. "They've got the mind reader."

-------

Walking along silently, still basking in their victory, nobody heard the leaves rustling. They didn't hear birds flying away. They paid no notice to the squirrels running across the path. They didn't see the wave.

Then a mass of bodies swarmed them.

The mob was made of huge, strong men and women. These weren't trained warriors who were lithe and fluid in their movements. These were barbarians, hired by the group they had defeated, no doubt. This type of fighter - this type of group - was the hardest to fight. They had no rules, no morals, no regard for health or sanity or honour. They lay about themselves with clubs and axes as big as they were, taking down whatever was in their path, regardless of whether that person was one of theirs or not.

Sara's group had no time to react to the attack. Despite their size, these barbarians moved as quietly as the wind, making no sound until they were upon their victims. Taking the only option they had, the group ran faster than they had ever run before, jumping over branches and roots in a crazed frenzy. They were now truly running for their lives.

Used to the harshness of the outdoors, the barbarians followed. Each CSI drew a weapon to counter the attack when it came upon them again. The odds this time were nowhere near to even, and Sara realized that this group must have been waiting in the wings in case of a failure. They were better prepared than she could have imagined.

As steel blades cut into wooden handles and clashed with the steel of the axes, she let herself become enveloped in the battle, feeling around with her extra senses to find the enemy and take them swiftly. She downed two barbarians on her own before she took her first hit. It cut deep and stunned her, laying the ground for another, then another until she was too shocked to move. She could only wave her blade around in front of her to clear a small space for her to think. Immortality was a gift that allowed her to carry on, and one she was glad for, but she knew that even with it she would be soon hacked to pieces if she didn't come up with a plan for her entire group. Little did she know that what kept the barbarians at bay was not her sword, but the wild, untamed look in her eye. If she had known that, she could have used it to her advantage. All she could think about was how she regretted telling her people to fight instead of changing realms like she should have. It was a simple mistake, but one that might cost them their lives.

In the midst of all that, Sara heard a yell, and instantly she knew. They had gone so long, fighting without serious repercussions. It was one of hers. She had promised herself and she had promised them that she wouldn't use magic in a fight. Even with her control, it was unpredictable, put a huge strain on her, zapped her energy and was almost unfair. If they weren't fighting for their lives. Despite all of the things that could go wrong, she mentally felt for everyone on her side and shielded them with the portion of her magic that she wasn't using to blast away everyone else. Sara felt guilty when she hesitated at Jordan. They weren't on the best of terms, and she knew that Jordan was going to leave them after this battle. After a moment of nothing, she glared coldly at her former friend before covering her in the thickest coat of magic she could manage.

-------

When the dust in the clearing settled - half natural, half magic - Sara saw who on her side had fallen. Three of the loyal villagers who had stayed with them were down, and the rest had apparently ran or gotten obliterated in Sara's explosion of magic. There wasn't one of her remaining people that wasn't nursing a wound of their own, but the real object of their concern was Greg. The barbarians, she later found out, had stormed Catherine, occupying her while opening Greg up to the danger of battle. There had to have been one trained man in the barbaric group to recognize the healer and all that could be lost without him. More importantly, if the healer was injured, there was nobody quite qualified to heal him. Sara knew some healing magic herself, but she had never chosen it as an ability to strengthen and practice, and it was something she had never actually learned or been taught. She was but a beginner, only able to heal herself.

"Oh god," Sara said, pacing with her head in her hands. "No. This can't be happening."

"What can we do?" Warrick asked, businesslike, staring down in anguish at their fallen friend.

"I don't know." she whispered. "I can't heal. I can't do anything close to what needs to be done to help him."

"Without a healer, how long do we have?"

"I don't know. It all depends on the injuries and the weapons and..." she brought a hand down her face in a clawing fashion. "This is all stuff a healer would learn."

"I'm sorry." Catherine's voice was quiet and her face was pale. "I didn't mean to...I tried to fight them all..."

"It's not your fault. Even I couldn't fight them. You protected Greg the best you could, but this is something we couldn't have forseen." _I could have seen it,_ Sara thought to herself. _I could have, but I was too busy worrying about what was wrong with me..._ she shook her head. "I don't know what we're going to do. He...he may very well be beyond healing."

"How are we going to - " Catherine was cut off by another voice, this new one strong and full of life and power.

"Maybe," Said the new woman, stepping into the clearing, her white-blonde hair flowing around her face and her aqua eyes sparkling. "Maybe I can help."

* * *

**A/N: Welcome back!**


	17. Chapter 17

**

* * *

**

A/N: I've recieved more than one message/review concerning Sara's...moral state. I think I've said this to those with concerns, but to anyone else who thinks she's mean now and doesn't like it, don't worry. Everything will resolve itself ni time. This change is leading to something. That's all I can give away. Anyways, I hope you like the chapter.

* * *

The woman stood tall in front of them, hands on her hips, the picture of confidence. A dress so white it was almost blue hugged her body like a second skin, slit halfway up the leg. Her hands shone with turquoise magic the same colour as her bright eyes. It contrasted sharply with her white-blonde hair.

"How the hell did you manage this?" Sara demanded.

"You move slowly for a group so small." The woman said with a grin. "Rhea got there way faster."

"Of course." she sighed and turned to the rest of the group. "I'm sure you all remember Rain." Everyone openly gaped at the woman they very faintly remembered. She was Violet's sister, stripped of her magic before she had even met them. She had been progressively getting worse as time went on, and it made no sense that she would be standing a few feet from them, perfectly healthy and intent on helping.

"Isn't she..." Nick was regarding her with a look of confusion on his face.

"She's supposed to be."

"Still here." Rain sounded bored. "So you want my help or not?"

"How can you help us? You're a mage, not a healer."

"Not quite. I got a couple lessons." She knelt next to Greg and ran her hands over his body. "This is going to take some serious work to fix."

"I don't think a couple lessons will do you much good. Even _I've _had a couple lessons."

"I had more than a couple, alright? I've been practically a vegetable since you left. I needed to do _something _all day, and there was always a healer there. They taught me what they knew, each one knowing something different, until I got a whole course on it. I'm pretty good, or so I've been told."

"I thought you had no magic." Sara's voice was hard and accusing. If Rain had lied about this all along, it could offer a conflict about where her allegiance was.

"I didn't when you met me, and I still didn't for a long time after that, but little by little, healers managed to restore a small part of it. I had to rest so it would grow, and _that _took a sinfully long time, but it did grow, by and by, and when I found out what was going on with you guys and that Violet was in on it, I couldn't just sit around and do nothing, so I stole the rest of what I have now. I've been practicing my new healing skills for a little while, and that's why it's taken me this long to come to you."

"Well I've no harsh words for you now considering how handy this is turning out to be. Can you do anything?"

"If I do, it'll take time."

"Great. The one thing we don't have."

"Melodrama is your strong suit, isn't it?"

"Just get to the point, Rain. I'm not in the mood."

"I see intelligence is up there too." She muttered. "Just hop realms. I doubt those boneheads who took over are monitoring all the switching. I certainly did it easily enough, and nobody's following me."

"You _hope _nobody's following you. And I don't want to risk draining myself switching everyone."

"Oh relax. Rhea's right behind me." As if on cue, their other friend materialized out of the trees, the missing part of their large group flanking her.

"I've found out that this one's quite wicked when she's not half-dead." Rhea hooked a finger at Rain with a huge smile on her face. "She's kinda fun. She did something weird to my magical signature and she said it'd throw you off. Did it work?"

"Yeah." Sara admitted grudgingly. "I thought you were a couple miles in the other direction."

"I could tell. You looked totally clueless. We've been watching you from the forest."

"And you didn't think to come help us out earlier?" Anger sparked in Sara's eyes.

"We came after the fighting part, and Rain wanted a dramatic entry. I gave it to her because, honestly, there's no point in saying no."

"You're not being fair." Rain said defensively, running her aqua glowing hands over Greg's limbs. "I've been away from you for so long, I deserved an entrance."

"You deserved a slap in the face, you were so pushy." Violet said, but she was smiling ear to ear.

"You and Sara should really get into theatre." She murmured, letting her magic flow into Greg, encircling them both in a thin veil of bright aqua. His body convulsed briefly, and then settled as his expression relaxed. "Alright, he'll be out for a while. Sara, Rhea, I don't care how you do it, but get us somewhere else. Mortal realms or otherwise."

"And I do what?" Violet asked. "They're not the only mages here."

"Yeah but they're the best ones. No offense, Gil, but this isn't something you could handle. Besides, Vi, you protected me for long enough." she hooked an arm around Violet's shoulders and pulled her close. "Now it's my turn to do the same."

"Rain..."

"That's the end of it, Violet. I'm not changing my mind. Alright, Sara?"

"You rang?" she asked dryly.

"Haha. Funny. Mortal realms would be best. Can you do it?"

"Rhea?"

"I'll help." The dark mage promised, flinging magic sparkles from her fingers to amuse herself. "You want to do it?"

"Yeah, okay, but we can't go to my place. I've been away for so long, and I don't want my neighbours to suspect anything with this huge group just showing up out of the blue."

"Alright. We'll go to my place." she smiled wryly. "This should be novel. I haven't been to that place in...god...a couple years at least."

"_You_ live in the mortal realms?" Catherine asked. Looking at their friend in all her dark magical glory, it was hard to imagine her in any other setting.

"Of course." Rhea just looked amused. "You don't think I stay here _all _the time, do you? That would be terribly dull. I like a little excitement in my life."

"Just tell me where." Sara interrupted.

"25023035776193."

"Excellent." Apparently the string of numbers meant something to Sara that it didn't to the rest of them.

"Everyone grab a hold of Greg." Rain warned them. "I don't want him dropped." Everyone took a place around Greg's limp body skeptically. He looked fragile, and since he had always been the "child" of their team, he looked especially innocent. Nobody would have dreamt of letting him go.

"Ready?"

"Yes." The answer was almost unanimous. There were a few who backed away from the group - mostly younger warriors from Rhea's group who were wary of magic like this. There was always a chance that the mage's magic would fail to transport a group this size, and they would be stuck between realms. Little did these warriors know, they would be muted and well hidden by magic when the group left. Nobody could be left free to talk or be captured. It was a precaution that had to be taken.

The unavoidable rushing wind of realm changes enveloped them shortly. They were all so used to it by now it no longer scared them. Many of them kept their eyes open and allowed themselves to see the mystery that was realm hopping. They seemed to be floating in a tunnel of bright, swirling colours and fuzzy images that represented time and space. As everything rushed past them, they drank it in, seeing what mages had been seeing for centuries.

All too soon, it seemed, they were dropped out of the tunnel and on to a patch of thick grass. It was a hill overlooking a small collection of modernist style buildings.

"Not a bad landing considering everything." Rhea said, dusting off her jeans as she stood up. They were all back in mortal clothing, Rhea in dark jeans and a tank top, everyone else dressed equally as casual. It felt strange to them all to be standing in a modern city wearing modern clothing after everything they had experienced in such a short time. What was strangest of all was seeing these people they thought they knew acting and looking like normal, mortal people. For Sara, however, the most surprising thing was seeing Akona, who had been their captive, standing on the hill free as a bird looking quite pleased with himself. She also noted that she wasn't the only woman eyeing him.

In the magical realms, he looked every inch a lowly captive, held prisoner by those more powerful than he was. Here, however, he looked every inch the male model that he could have been. His auburn hair was loose now, somehow shorter here than it had been in the other realm. It was messy and a bit shaggy, but it was the perfect look for him. In the magical realms he had been slightly tanned and nicely toned, and that hadn't changed. It was, however, accentuated by the black button up he was wearing over his jeans with the sleeves rolled up and, much to Sara's pleasure, a few buttons open. He noticed her eyes on her and smiled knowingly. She smiled back wryly and turned away, her mind spinning for some reason or another. Then she realized why.

"Get out of my head." She told him, only half angry. "I'll tell you what I think of you when I'm good and ready."

"Alright." He gave her another knowing grin. She grimaced. He was turning out to be more trouble than he was worth.

"My place is just down there." Rhea announced, unknowingly interrupting Sara and Akona's impending conversation. "It's apartment 302, in case we get separated for some reason."

As they all picked their way down the slope, the sounds of the modern world swirled around them. The car horns on the road sounded un-naturally loud compared to the silent sound of footsteps they were so used to. Even though this was the world they had known their whole lives, it seemed foreign now. Even the other people on the street, though few, looked out of place. There was near to no-one else in the forests they had travelled in for the past weeks.

They all entered the brick apartment building, crowded uncomfortably in the small lobby while Rhea keyed in a code to open the second set of doors. A crowded elevator ride later, they were all gathered in a group outside Rhea's door. She cursed under her breath as she body-checked it for the third time.

"It always gets stuck." She explained tightly, hitting it twice more before it opened. "Piece of crap." she kicked it on her way past. "I've got like...one room in here, so you're all going to have to be kind of creative. There are a lot of us, and I can see you're all tired, but you'll have to take the floor for now. There's nothing I can do about it."

"I need to be alone with him." Rain said, jerking her head to Greg.

"Can you not just work around that? We're pressed for space."

"I'm sorry." She truly did look sorry. "There's no avoiding it. I can't work unless I'm alone."

"I've never heard of that in healers before." Catherine accused, cross with all the hold-ups they were facing. Everyone was tired and worried about their friend.

"Because most healers are experienced enough to be able to work in the company of others. I'm not. I can help him, but it has to happen alone. I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Rhea rubbed a hand over her face. "You can have the bathroom."

"Somebody's going to eventually need to use it."

"Oh. Yes. Crap. Alright, you can use the office."

"You have an office?"

"I think it was supposed to be a spare room initially, but I didn't need two. Sorry everyone. You're condemned to sleeping in the living room, the kitchen or the balcony."

"Whoopie." Came the sarcastic reply from one of the warriors.

"Keep it to yourself, Peter. We might be living under this roof for a while."

"I still need to keep tabs on what's going on back there." Sara said. "If the rebels find out we've left, there's no telling what will happen."

"I've thought of it too, don't worry." Rhea looked more haggard than all of them put together, and it was only then Sara realized that she didn't know what Rhea had been up to while their group was apart.

"We'll figure it all out in good time." She promised. "Let's just all relax for a while."

"Crammed in these rooms like sardines in a can." Someone murmured.

"Might I remind you that you are all adults here, free to come and go as you please." Sara said dryly. "You know where we are. Feel free to go wherever you like." Cheered by the prospect of freedom, they all dispersed, some walking straight out the door, some heading farther into the apartment to sleep. Only when the last few people had filtered out to their respective activities did Sara actually see where they were. There was a small kitchen to her right and a bathroom to her left. In front of her, there was a dividing wall that astonished her.

"God, Rhea." Sara whispered, running her hand lightly over the mural on the feature wall. "This is...amazing."

"Thanks. It took a lot of time, but It's worth it, I think. Turned out nicely." The entire wall separating the hall from the living room was facing them, and it was the first thing you saw when you walked in the door. It was just a mural, nothing else. No furniture, no decorations, not even a single picture. The mural itself was enough. It was an explosive painting of creatures tearing through the wall of an anatomically correct heart. The creatures were red, black, grey and silver with horns that looked sharp and menacing, even in the painted representation. The wall behind the creatures was covered in spatters of red and black paint on a background that faded slowly from the red of the heart to a deep black at the wall's edges. It was powerful and captivating and utterly astonishing.

"What _is _it?"

"When you switch from good to evil," Rhea explained quietly, "You must have the willpower to suppress all sorts of evil desires that come with choosing to primarily use a power meant for evil itself. One that's source of magic is the root of all evil, whatever it is. That's how it feels." She nodded again to the mural. "I was, once upon a time, almost a demon. I was practically the personification of evil. I knew I had to...you know...stop. Become good again. Control my black magic when I was using it and when I wasn't, because it was taking me over, and it would have continued to if I hadn't gotten the best of it." She sighed and stroked the painting with a tenderness and longing that Sara couldn't being to understand. "I wasn't in a good place...mentally, I mean. I thought I was going to go insane with the two moral extremes battling it out in my head...in my body...in my magic...so I started this. It took my mind off what was happening. When it got too bad, I worked on this, and now I keep it. Just to remind me to be good."

"Wow." Sara couldn't find her voice to say more than that.

"I know. I did the entire place, if you want to see it."

"Oh. Sure." She let Rhea lead her around the apartment, stepping over the sleeping bodies of their friends. Everything she saw was more incredible than the last, save for the first mural which was the best of them all. Every wall of the small apartment was covered in murals when sheeted in magic. To the naked eye, it looked like a normal home with walls that were a dusty blue, contrasting beautifully with the chocolate brown furniture and the dark teal accents. When covered in Rhea's specific brand of magic, however, they painted the story of her life. The walls of the living room were the canvas for an epic battle between the sea and the earth, depicting trees bending in the wind and waves crashing over them, leaves riding the ocean tide and rocks forming a steady barrier for the tide to break on and try to climb. The kitchen was, fittingly, a market scene. It was, in fact, a marked the Sara recognized well, though she didn't know from where. There were cheerful coloured stands with goods lined up in front of them and hordes of people in front of each, though the people were represented by their magical signature, not their physical appearance. In the bathroom, she encountered a beautiful image of a waterfall cascading over a rocky cliff, the rising mist looking almost real. The spare room that Rhea seemed to be using as an office space was all black with small white dotted stars on the ceiling and flames lapping up the walls, reaching towards the sky. They were lead down the hall by painted currents of air in light, pure colors, darkening slightly as they reached the room at the end of the hall. The door was painted all black with red symbols shining on the door, looking like something out of the runic alphabet. When they walked in the room, Sara almost forgot how to stand on two feet. This room - Rhea's bedroom - was an inky black that Sara had never before seen in a paint. The walls were covered in the same strange runic characters as the door, shining magically. At the same time, something in the background that appeared when viewed through the corner of the eye looked like a storm or a battle. There were swirls of something in the black, making long grasses sway, making an angry fire burn higher, making a wave crash against the room's corner, sending down lighting and dark, ominous clouds. When Sara looked directly at it, it was gone. This room was, without a doubt, the most powerful room in the house.

"Want to leave?" Rhea asked, sensing Sara's awe and discomfort.

"Please." Sara said, relieved when they had stepped back into the hall and the door to that room had been closed. Being in Rhea's room felt like having another mage prowling around in her body, feeling her magic and trying to take it all away. It was disconcerting, and by sheer force of self preservation, Sara could not have spent another minute in there. "Why...?" She couldn't put the feeling into words, but she wanted to know how a simple room - four walls and a door, like any other - could have such an effect on her.

"It makes me feel good." The explanation was too simple, and it didn't explain what Sara really wanted to know - _How._ "It's like floating in a bottomless pool of your own power. I love it." Sara understood the bottomless pool part, but she had felt like she was drowning.

"How did you _do _that?"

"I painted it."

"I've painted things before, Rhea, and none of them have ever felt like that."

"Ever painted with your fingers?"

"When I was five, sure."

"No, not like that. Here, I'll teach you." She closed her eyes momentarily, and when she opened them, she was looking at Sara with a sort of dark mystery in her eyes that made her look knowledgeable beyond her years. "Picture all your power flowing through your body, almost as if it were to replace your blood. You'll feel it when you get it right." Sara didn't need to close her eyes to find her magic inside of her. It felt like a glowing magical orb just waiting to be tapped into. With her mind, she forced it to spread through her body, and a tingling sensation spread along with it. A moment later, she felt a shock, and had to make herself stand still. Her body wanted her to move. The excess of power filling her was fuelling her with an unheard of amount of energy, and she needed to do something to stop it from building up.

"Oh yes," Rhea said softly, half lost in her own little world. "I forgot how powerful you really are. Alright, now touch your fingertips gently to the wall, and imagine something - an emotion, or else it won't work. Something strong to start. Something you feel overpowered by." Rhea's eyelids drifted shut and her voice became as insubstantial as a breath. "And close your eyes."

Sara screwed her eyes shut and felt for the wall with her hand. When it was solid underneath her fingertips, she let all the walls down in her mind and let her emotions run wild. Confusion, the very thing she thought would take control, almost evaporated when she wasn't concentrating on it. So did many other feelings she had thought to be prominent. Instead, strange things she didn't know she felt came flowing through her hands and on to the wall. She tried to stop, but after she started, there was no turning back. She could feel her hand flying, the small bumps of the plaster underneath them making her fingertips tingle. Along with her hand flew her deepest thoughts and feelings. Love. Friendship. Trust. Loyalty. Power. Anger. Sadness. Struggle. Betrayal.

When she felt the overwhelming power subside, she opened her eyes and looked in awe at the runic symbols she had just painted on the wall. Though she had not known the characters' meanings before, she could now identify each one for what they were, even the ones she hadn't drawn. Rhea had drawn more controlled, graceful symbols. Hers were almost innocent. Loyalty was there. Anger was small. Happiness was surprisingly central to her series, considering everything. Will was also there twice, on the edges. Ability ringed the circle many times, in small deliberate strokes. Teaching and learning, which were the same, appeared across from each other. Friendship finished it off.

"You're very good at this." Rhea said thoughtfully, studying Sara's pattern and characters. "I can't say I'm not surprised at what you've written, because you've been wronged many times, but the intensity...it surprises me. Especially since this isn't your wall. This type of thing usually comes easier to you if you're drawing on something that is your own." She fingered betrayal and friendship respectively. "Betrayal and friendship." Rhea murmured to herself. "Friendship and betrayal. What were you thinking when you wrote these two?"

"I don't know." Sara whispered, not trusting her own voice. "It just...happened. All of it."

"Sometimes it does." Rhea seemed to be talking to herself now. "You may not know this, Saray..." she cut herself off and took a breath. "Sara...I meant Sara. Anywho... I've been trained to read and interpret these runes. People sometimes leave them behind in places they've been without knowing what they've done. They can be prophetic, depending on the person. They can tap into knowledge and instinct that the person doesn't know they have, and provide insight to the future. They're almost always right."

"I've already been betrayed." Sara said, her voice even quieter. Rhea almost didn't catch what she was saying. "It's a look into the past."

"It may mean a betrayal by one of this group, Sara. An impending betrayal. I'd watch out."

"I can deal with it when it comes."

"Listen, Sara. I don't know where your mind has been lately, but you've been...a bitch, pretty much. You're angry for some reason, I can see that, but you're distancing yourself from everyone here, whether you know it or not. If you keep on this way, you're going to lose everyone here. _Everyone, _Sara. You're powerful. I know that. We all know that. But power can never make up for allies. You need both to survive this. And if you just concentrate on power, you'll lose your allies."

"You don't know what I've been through." She responded bitterly, half lost somewhere in her mind she didn't want to be.

"No, I don't know. And frankly, I have no desire to know. You're clearly dealing with something that, in all fairness, you shouldn't have to deal with, but it's something we all have to go through some time, in some form or another. Just snap out of it, okay?" Her last few words were spoken with a tenderness she didn't know she possessed.

"Stop trying to act like somebody you're not, Rhea." Sara spat. "You and I don't have that kind of bond and we never will. Stop trying so hard. It's just not helping." With that, she turned violently and stormed down the hall. A moment later, the balcony door slammed against the frame, and then all was still.

Rhea stood in the hallways, staring at the spot where Sara had just stood, shaking. Maybe in anger, maybe in fear. She didn't know. The tremors progressed until she could no longer contain herself, so she closed her eyes and let her magic take over every inch of her body. Maybe Sara's evil had been absorbed into her body. Maybe this was some demonic urge of her own. She knew that after this she would not remember it, for she rarely did. Her overtaken body darted from one end of the hall to the other, her skin flashing with every step from its normal creamy tone to a menacing black and red that was not natural on a human. After a whirlwind of emotion and power that seemed to last an eternity, her body shook once more, and her skin stopped flashing. She leaned against the wall opposite to the one they had been painting on and, when her eyes cleared, she sunk to the floor, her mind buzzing. Her ears stung with the roar of silence. She wanted to look away from the wall, but her eyes were drawn to it in a way that she could not begin to explain. When the evil inside her took control, she usually wrote runes because it helped control her. She usually wrote thousands of characters, symbolizing anger and violence, death and evil. They were always demonic. They always scared her.

None had ever scared her more than these she had just done. They were the dark red of black magic and dripping with something else. She looked at her hands. They were already starting to heal themselves, drawing power from her still excited magic, but they were bloody and cut. The plaster dust on the floor was tinged red. The runes carved in the wall would be bloody as well. She stared in horror and confusion at the places where her fingers had actually gone through. She had never written two symbols with such intensity before. Never with such a blind desire to get what she was feeling out of her mind and her body and onto something she could easily destroy. Only two symbols, carved into a wall by the sheer force of her hands and her will to rid herself of the foreboding sense of...what was it? She looked carefully at the symbols again, taking care not to mistake them for something they weren't. She looked from the first to the second, shivering in terror as what she had written settled in.

On her walls, permanently visible to anyone who knew how to look for them, were the two symbols she had never thought she would see come so intensely from her hands. She stood on shaky legs and traced the symbols.

At one end, she traced the bloody symbol for Friendship.

On the other, she traced the ragged edges of Betrayal.

-------

Sara came back into the rooms much later that evening. Rhea was nowhere to be seen - Sara reasoned that she had gone to bed. Most of the group had returned and they were all sprawled on the floor of either the kitchen or the living room, covered in whatever blankets they could find. Sara could have slept, but she wasn't as tired as most were, being used to the change of realms. She made her way towards the office that Rain was occupying, intending to listen through the door to gage where exactly in the healing process Greg was. When she pressed her ear silently to the door, she could hear the faint buzz of healing at work, but it was barely audible over the voices in the room. Despite her insistence that she had to work alone, Rain seemed to have no problem talking to Violet while she worked.

"Remember our initial plan?" Rain was asking her sister softly. "Remember what we were going to do to them? Whatever happened to that!?"

"Rain, you had no magic. I needed to keep you alive. That was my first priority." Violet sounded slightly more troubled, but her voice held some kind of excitement that Sara couldn't pinpoint.

"I have it now though, Vi, and they mean nothing to us. They don't have our confidences or our alliance. They never have."

"Rain..." Violet lowered her voice until Sara could pick out few words, She did hear, "Saved...your life...never...left...magic...Capretian army..." Then Rain cut her off.

"That's the point, Vi. I have my magic back now, and it's stronger than ever. Nobody knows how powerful I am. Nobody knows what I can do. They think we're so young and innocent, such cute little women. We can show them. We can take back what should be ours. Please Violet. We've always wanted this."

"I know, but after everything we've gone through..."

"No, Violet. It has to be done. We need to confront them. Fight them, if it comes to that. We need them to listen to _us _now. It's our right."

"They'll never."

"Oh they will, Vi." Rain's voice was sickeningly pleased. "They will once we kill their leader."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked that. Please R&R. I love to hear from everybody.**


	18. Chapter 18

Sara leaned against the doorframe, following Rain's every movement with her eyes. She was, at the moment, bent over Greg, moving little more than a statue. Her hair was fanned around both of them like a curtain, trembling in an impossible wind that came with her strange turquoise magic.

"I can't do this if you just stand there and watch me the entire time." Rain reminded Sara.

"Just pretend I'm not here."

"It doesn't work that way."

"Oh really? Then explain to me how it _does _work."

"I need to be able to feel around the room. It'll heal whatever's in the room other than me. If there's anyone here other than him, I can't help but heal them too. And that tires me out. Which isn't good."

"Yes, thank you, I think I can grasp that concept with minimal help. So how are you doing it now, then?"

"It takes a lot of concentration. I'm just learning, so I can't really hold it that long."

"Really? Because if you just want me to leave, I'm fine with that." Since she had overheard Violet and Rain talking, she was finding it exceedingly hard to believe anything either of them said.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Rain's eyes flashed. "Honestly, just come out and say it if it will get you out of my hair faster."

"How long is this going to take?"

"No clue. Three days...maybe? Less if I can get some help."

"Help with what? I thought you had to be alone to do this."

"Vi can help me. She'd give me every ounce of magic she could if I let her."

"And you won't try to heal her?" As much as Sara wanted to keep her growing feelings of unease to herself, she couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Everything seemed to be becoming about Violet. How_ Violet _was the only one exempt from these ridiculous rules.

"No. Violet's as much a part of me as I am myself. She's the one exception."

"Excellent." Sara muttered, cracking her knuckles absently as she thought.

"Can you please do that somewhere else? And send Vi in here. I want to speak with her."

"Alright, fine. Just try and speed this up, okay? I don't like being away for too long with the political climate as it is."

"I'll do my best." She promised, shooing Sara out as inconspicuously as she could. "Just let me do it."

-------

"Violet." Rain called in a singsong voice. "I need you again."

"Yes ma'am." Violet grinned and walked back in the room, past Sara sloughed on the floor outside the door. This was the twelfth time that Violet had been called back into that room. The whispering that happened behind those doors and the colourful flashes coming out through the cracks did nothing to ease Sara's feeling that those two were up to something less than innocent.

Sara looked through the open door discreetly. Neither Violet nor Rain ever did anything overly suspicious. Every time Violet was called in, the two just stood with their foreheads touching and let their magic swirl around them. Neither ever came out worse for wear, but once, Sara caught Violet's eye momentarily as she came out, and she was shining mysteriously, as if she held some sort of knowledge that put her at ease. Sara was almost sure that whatever put her in such a good mood was the knowledge that she and Rain would soon hold more power than they ever would have imagined. She would have been happy for them if what would give them that power wasn't her death. It was disconcerting since they now spent almost every possible moment together, most likely plotting Sara's demise.

She wasn't sure which way to turn. On one hand, she could confront them. That could bring an attack on sooner than they had planned, but at least Sara would know that the attack would happen, though it might injure her until she was unable to work with the group. The other option was to wait and watch them. This would hold off any possible injury, but it would also give them a chance to up tighten up their attack plans and perfect them, which was also something Sara couldn't afford. She sighed.

"What's up?" Nick slid down beside her, never straying from the friendly guy he always had been.

"I'm fine." Sara murmured, looking sideways at him.

"I didn't ask if you were fine. I asked what was up. But it's kind of clear that you're anything _but _fine."

"I'm just thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

"Well, you told me to lead this little group of ours, so almost anything probably _does _concern me in some way. You just don't want to tell me."

"It's not about the group." She lied effortlessly. "I'm just thinking in general."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive." She smiled at him, and it felt foreign to her facial muscles. "I'm just stressed about all of this."

"Need to talk about it?"

"Not really. It's just the enormity of everything happening at once, you know?"

"You want help with anything? Work? Or just a friend?"

"I appreciate it, but I think I'll be okay." Nick was silent. He knew that if he said nothing, whoever he was talking to would continue talking to fill the space that, if left too long, became quite awkward. "It's just..." Sara continued, "What's going on here? Everyone's starting to pick sides...make alliances...do what you least expect...how are you supposed to follow it all?"

"Who do you mean?"

"Oh, nobody in particular. Just general. The group that went with Rhea when we separated...they all became really close, and then our little group...there used to be a connection between all of us, you know? Now there's no bridge between the two groups and it's going to tear us apart."

"I think you're being paranoid. Everyone is striving towards a greater good, even if we're not buddy-buddy all the time. We work well together when it matters, and that's all that really counts."

"That may be," Sara countered. "but without personal connections to other group members, it's too easy for people to leave and go to the other side."

"This is about Jordan, isn't it." His question wasn't a question at all. He knew. He just needed to make sure that _she _knew.

"It's not. Well...she's part of it, I guess...but it's her choice. She probably went back to the mortal realms anyways, since she has a life there. The others...they all have lives in the magical realms. They wouldn't leave, and they wouldn't be able to live peacefully for long until the rebels found out who they used to work with, and then they'd be tortured for their secrets. Everyone knows that, and nobody here that I can see leaving would choose torture over betrayal. The minute any of them leave us, they'll go straight to the enemy with what they know."

"What do they really know, though? You don't say much."

"That's the point. They _can't _know. I can't let them know anything that could be used against us later unless I'm absolutely sure of their alliance. I am sure of very few."

"That's a lot for one person."

"I know. It's giving me a headache."

"You could consider giving some of us more responsibilities, you know. We could help you, and we'd never betray you."

"By 'we' you mean the team, right?"

"Of course. We've all worked together through so much, we'd never leave. You know that as well as I do."

"I'll see." Sara didn't want to tell him the truth. She didn't want to tell him that she no longer trusted anyone. She didn't want to tell him that any of them would leave if she said the wrong thing or made the wrong choice. She didn't want to tell him that being a great leader came with being hated greatly by almost everyone who worked for you. She didn't want to tell him, so she didn't. But that didn't mean it wasn't how she felt.

"You'll be alright?" He asked, standing up to leave. She started to tune out, and he saw it in the way her eyes kept focusing on things that weren't there. He knew it was time to leave. Time to let her think through whatever was _really _troubling her.

"Yeah." She managed another smile up at him. "Thanks...for this. For everything. And I mean that."

"I know you do." He smiled warmly back at her. "If you need anything...don't hesitate." Then he walked away. She watched him walk.

_I made a good choice when I asked him to take my place. _She thought. _Catherine and Warrick too. They all have a good head on their shoulders. They'll do right by this group._

"...even if I can't." she murmured, pushing herself up and leaning against the wall. She looked in the door again, watching Greg and Rain glow. She closed her eyes and flicked a small orb of magic into the room, finding Rain and placing it gently in the centre of her own power. She knew the young woman would feel the rush of power, and even though she _was_ plotting against Sara, she was also healing a dear friend, and the fact that her power would be used to help Greg was worth whatever other repercussions came with giving her that power.

_I know this is the right decision. _She thought. _They'll be better off this way._

Sara sighed and closed her eyes, searching inside her for something she hadn't sought out in years. When she found the small facet of her power she so rarely used, she took it and let her senses range out. Outside the walls of the building, above the roofs of the city and up high in the atmosphere until she felt it cooling and the almost invisible pressure of a cloud floated around her. Then she took a mental breath and willed the particles in her body to separate. They resisted strongly, and it took her a dozen tries to get it right, but when she did, she wished she hadn't. Any mage had the power to do this - virtually teleport - but few did it, and this feeling was exactly why. It was unnatural. A body should stay together. Sara didn't like it when she could feel air blowing her entire body in different directions. She could only move herself to the hill that they had arrived on, and even then the landing was less than perfect.

She stared back at Rhea's apartment - the faintly illuminated window was winking at her as if it were mocking her. She scowled at it, but there were tears in her eyes. As much as she knew this was the right thing to do - that her entire group would be better off being lead by somebody who wasn't fighting internally with the spirit of a dead man and her own less than commendable desires - it hurt her to know that she was no longer good enough to do the one thing she was born to do. To know that in order for them to succeed, she would no longer be able to be a part of it.

-------

"Who let her leave!?" Rhea screamed when she woke. Everybody else was standing, dumbfounded, in the living room staring at Rhea. Her temper was volatile, and they didn't know what to do with her. "I'm going to start breaking heads if I don't get answer in the next minute. How the hell did she pass _everyone _in this room without being questioned. And you," she turned to the CSIs. "Aren't you supposed to be investigators!? How the hell did you not know!? How did this _happen!?"_

"Rhea, nobody's lying." Violet said quietly, having roamed through all of their thoughts and recent memories. "They really didn't see her. She talked to none of them."

"Then how the _fuck _did she get out of here!? I mean, she couldn't have climbed through a window, and she can't telepo - "

"Don't you see what happened? God, it's so _obvious._" Rain leaned against the wall casually, not concerned in the least that Sara seemed to be missing. "She's a mage, and a powerful one at that. She technically _can _teleport, in a sense."

"Explain. Now."

"You don't know? Oh, don't give me that look." She rolled her eyes. "Any mage can do it, but only the _really _gifted ones ever try. You can use your magic to break yourself into particles and float around. It's wicked cool. I bet that's what she did. She certainly has the power."

"So she can just...float around...watching us?"

"Don't be stupid. She can't actually see. She can kind of...feel around with her senses, I guess...at least that's how I do it...but nobody can stay like that for long. It hard and tiring and drains you like nothing else, so there's not really a possibility to go too far."

"Where could she be? Can we...I don't know...get her back?"

"She could be anywhere. Magical realms or mortal. And, honestly, do we really want her back if this is what she chose to do?"

"Of course we want her..."

"You don't know, do you."

"I want to say we do want her back, but you have an interesting point."

"How do you mean?" Grissom's voice held an almost protective edge for their absent friend.

"Well...I mean...if she left - and she probably had a good reason for it - do we really want her to come back if all she's going to do is try and leave again? Wouldn't we just be better like this?" As they thought over her point, every member of the group slowly nodded. Everyone but Rhea.

"I think you all seem to be forgetting something." She scowled at each of them. "Sara is the _only _ one who can do this. She's the one in the prophecy. Remember? The entire reason we're doing this? We _need _her. It's not just a matter of comfort or desire. It's necessity. Without her, we're going to lose. She's the one with the power. She's the one with the ancient prophecy behind her. She's the one who was born to do this. There can be nobody else."

"If we all work together..."

"It. Will. Not. Work." The fact that she was so convinced they would fail did nothing to inspire them. "This is why she was born. This is why she's been protected all these years." Now she was pacing, muttering things to herself that made little sense to the others. "...devoted my entire life to this...and now she leaves!? The moment when we need her the most. She should have known. We should have told her. She should have known. I was right all along. She would never leave if she knew. She has to know. We have to find her."

"Rhea, we can't." Warrick, the strongest in body of all of them, and equally strong in mind, was the perfect person to talk sense into the one they could talk no sense into. "We have no time...limited resources...and then there's Greg. He's still injured. He has to stay here, and we need to stay here to protect him. We can't split up. She's left us, and that was her decision. We're adults. We have free will. We can't give up this fight. Not now. Not ever."

"He's right." Catherine said, meeting Rhea's hard glare with one of her own. "You know he's right. You can't let anything personal get in the middle of this. None of us can. We need to be a group on our own. If we work hard and plan well, we _will _be a force to be reckoned with when the time comes. I wholeheartedly promise that to every single one of you."

"What authority do you have?" One of Rhea's warriors stepped forward defiantly. It was, in fact, a question on each of their minds, but Catherine wasn't prepared to be diplomatic about it.

"More than you, I assure you." She spat back.

"I've had my ability longer than you have. I believe if any of us need to hold any authority over a group this size, it should be me."

"You're power hungry like the rest of your kind. You have power, yes, but I have the blessing of our true leader. As do they." She waved a hand to include Warrick and Nick. "She left her leadership position to be shared between the three of us."

"Strange, is it not, that she did not leave it to be shared between the five of you?" he looked to Grissom and down the hall to Greg's room with a wicked gleam in his eye. "Perhaps she knows something about those two that you do not. Maybe they are not as strong in character as you are. Maybe they are to be watched?" The warriors in Rhea's group all stiffened audibly. Rhea herself stiffened and her gaze turned as cold and hard as ice. The paintings still on her wall flashed through her mind in streaks of brightness, leaving the messages of anger and betrayal fresh in her mind. For all that she had denied it being one of their group, she couldn't help but wonder if Sara _did _in fact know more than she had let on. If that was the reason she had left them without so much as a word. Maybe it was to protect herself - and thus their cause - from an impending evil.

"Both of you, stop it." She told them when she found her voice. "If we're going to do this without her, we're going to need to stick together. No meaningless arguments over who's been given leadership and who hasn't. That's not for you to decide."

"So you agree that we're going to let her go?"

"I agree that, for the time being, it's logical for us to leave her. We do need to protect our fallen member, and we need to plan if we're going to survive long enough to find her."

"So it's decided then?"

"It's decided." Rhea said, speaking for them all. "As of now, we're on our own."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I've been getting a lot of concerned messages about Sara's character. Don't worry, this _is _leading to something and she won't be like this forever. **"Violet, you can't back out now." Rain fought to keep her voice below a whisper. "You promised."

* * *

"That was before you got drained and I became a member of the government." This had become the topic of the majority of their recent conversations. Violet was exhausted. When Rain wasn't using her magic, she was continuing this argument, never giving up any ground. Losing magic daily drained her physically, and whatever left was drained emotionally from this argument.

"Is this the way it's going to be?"

"Rain..." Violet ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "I just don't see the point to our plan anymore."

"This was what we were trained to do. Remember mom?"

"What about her?"

"She taught us to be sneaky, devious, cunning...and for what? For this explicit purpose. She wants us to do this. She's _always _wanted us to do this. If you no longer want to do it for you...if you no longer want to do it for me...do it for her."

"Don't turn this into a Hallmark movie, Rai. You can't guilt me into doing something this...wrong."

"So you want to disappoint our mother?"

"She _died _doing the exact same thing you're trying to do. I loved her. I still do, but that's not a reason to keep going with this insane scheme. I have a job now. A good one. I'm using the skills she gave us to help people."

"What happened to you, Violet?" Rain gave her a disgusted look. "You used to be my sister. I used to mean more to you than anything. You would never have rejected this plan before. They've done something to you."

"I grew a brain, Rain. That's all. I'm still your sister, and I still love you. You know that."

"If nothing has changed between us, you should still be able to realize that this needs to happen. You know our ruling body is nothing special. You know how easy it would be to take over."

"No. It's stupid and risky and treason."

"I'm sorry, are we in medieval Britain now? I hadn't noticed." She rolled her eyes. "Treason? Really? That's the reason? Vi, treason means nothing anymore. It's survival of the fittest now. If we can win in battle, we deserve the power. We were born to rule. You used to know that."

"Why don't you just do what I did? Join the government. You'll have a position there, and you can keep an eye on things. Just...please...don't go through with this."

"I'm not becoming a government slave like you. I don't want it to be like that. I want a sizeable amount of power. I want what we were promised in the cradle. I'll never stop wanting it."

"You're becoming power hungry. I don't like it. It's not safe."

"I'm not stupid. I'll get what I want. I always do."

"Rain..."

"Don't. I'm going to do this, Violet. With or without you."

"You're making me choose?"

"Yes. Do it." Rain's eyes were solid, icy orbs of aqua. Her voice was as hard and cold as her eyes, and utterly merciless. Judging by sound alone, she didn't care about Violet's decision. But Violet knew better. She and Rain had always been close - they had never even been apart for long. Rain's pain was Violet's just as Violet's was Rain's. She could feel the inner turmoil that her sister tried so desperately to hide.

"I don't like this one bit."

"I honestly could care no less. What'll it be Violet?"

"Rai...why?"

"I need to do something with my life. How could you not know that?" her voice softened along with her face, making her look like a child. A white hot pain exploded in Violet's chest as she remembered Rain as a child. So young and innocent, not yet influenced by their mother's insatiable desire for power. She couldn't imagine a life without Rain. "This is it, Violet. I can feel it."

"Please." Violet buried her face in her sister's white blonde hair and let her tears run wild. "Don't make me lose you too. I don't want to be alone. Not ever."

"You have to choose." Rain's voice was strangled, her desire to break fighting with her need to stay stern.

"Rain, _you _made me a promise when we were kids, remember?"

"I made a lot of promises. I meant very few."

"What about the one where you promised me we'd never be apart?" she sobbed. "Did you mean that?"

"Vi...I..."

"Please. I couldn't stand to lose both of you to the same idiotic cause."

"It needs to be done. If not by mom, then by me. I'm going to finish what she started."

"Rain, _please!" _

"You won't lose me, Violet, if you come with me." Rain was crying too, and Violet could hear it in her voice. She couldn't stand it. This girl, the one she had stuck by her entire life, was asking her to do something so beyond the ordinary that she could barely comprehend it. It was immoral and conniving, but Rain was stuck on it. And Violet couldn't let her do it alone.

"Fine." She pressed her forehead to Rain's, their heads bent so close together that they had to do little more than breathe a word for it to be audible.

"Thank you." Her voice broke on both words. This was the Rain that Violet had known her whole life. This was the sister she missed.

"We'll need an army."

"I know." Rain grinned. "I've already started building it."

"How..."

"I have my resources, just like you. They'll start showing up slowly. I'll tell you who they are. In fact, you already know one."

"Really? Who is it? Horace from last time?"

"Ew. Never. He's actually already here...just don't tell anybody."

"If I'm going to do this, I'll do it right. Don't worry. Who is it?"

"You're looking at him." Rain's ally said, rising up from the floor as fit and healthy as ever.

"Oh my god." Violet breathed. "Greg."

-------

Rhea lay flat on her bed, staring at her ceiling. A colourful flash blinded her, though she was not worried in the least.

"There is a problem, I hear." The voice was familiar, though Rhea had not seen the woman it belonged to in what seemed like a lifetime. "Yet you call me to resolve it. Why? We both know there are others more suited to this type of situation."

"I didn't need just anybody."

"Missed me, then?"

"Absolutely. It's been too long."

"You've made friends, though, I see." The woman's voice warmed as she spoke of the group, though she knew none of them.

"Yes, but no others know about...you know..._that."_

_"_So we're cutting right to the chase? No small talk?"

"We need to resolve this. She ran. She used her power to evade us and left. She might not go through with this."

"Did you tell her? Is that why she ran?"

"No. I think she would have stayed if she knew." Rhea sat up and rubbed her eyes. She had seen no sleep in the past two days, and it was beginning to show in her ratty sweatpants and on her face. Her friend, however, looked the opposite. Fresh and energized, her maroon hair shone against her white and maroon outfit, looking perfectly together.

"I don't much like you at the moment." Rhea muttered. "You look too good to be in the same situation as I am."

"Rhea, I'm twenty years younger than you are."

"I know time means as little to you as it does to me, so drop it. Please just help me find her before the others realize that she's gone."

"Do you know where she went?"

"No. She magiced herself out of here without even leaving a note. The group's trying to keep it together. They've divided up tasks, they're ready to move, fight and win. I haven't had the heart to tell them that without her..."

"...they have no chance." The other woman filled in. "Yes, I know."

"You're one of the few who does, Ailyn. That's why I need your help above that of everyone else. You know what's at stake."

"Why haven't you been following her? If you left immediately after you found out, you could have caught her."

"We agreed to let her go."

"Who agreed?" Ailyn narrowed her eyes.

"Everyone. As a group."

"Did you tell them."

"You know I can't." Rhea scowled at that. "I _could _if there weren't rules against it."

"Not speaking about this matter to those outside the council is the best for everyone involved. You have to know that after all this time."

"I've never agreed with it. If you had all taken my advice when we were making the decision, we wouldn't be having this problem."

"If you had done the job you were assigned properly, we wouldn't be having this conversation at all."

"Maybe if I got relieved once in a while..."

"You offered." Ailyn snapped. "You've never complained."

"I've asked to be replaced more times than I care to remember, but nobody ever wanted to take over. I couldn't just leave her alone."

"Then break the rules. You have no problem doing that anywhere else, I hear."

"That's because breaking the rules elsewhere won't kill me."

"You'll listen to the will of the council if you know what's good for you. They will summon you, no doubt. And soon. If you're defiant now, after you've lost her, they will show you no mercy."

"I know that." Rhea spat. "Don't you think I know that!? It's all I can think about."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I need help. I need to fix this."

"You need a drink, that's what."

"I'm not a mortal anymore, Ailyn." she yelled. "I haven't been for....god...I can't even remember now. I can't think like one."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't think about running away from this and I can't make it go away. I have to fight it."

"Don't fight them when they come for you. You'll never win if you do."

"It's my nature to fight. I can't _not _defend myself if the time comes. I'll have to do it."

"Just submit. They'll go easy on you. They're always merciful to those they think they are above."

"Oh yes, that's right. I forgot you were one of _them _now." Her face distorted as she said it.

"Don't be like that. Just listen to my advice and you'll be fine."

"Me? Listen to _your _advice!?" Rhea was fighting it, but her voice was well beyond normal volume. "If you had all listened to my advice in the first place, we wouldn't _be _in this situation."

"The council didn't know at the time that your suggestions would be more...prudent."

"Oh sure, side with the _council." _

"Leave the council out of this." Now Ailyn was yelling as well. She and Rhea both simultaneously flicked their hands at the walls. Colourful sheets of magic coated them for only a moment before seeping into the plaster and becoming invisible.

"How heated do you anticipate this is going to get if you need to soundproof the place?"

"I could ask you the exact same thing." They both glared at one another.

"Ailyn, when are they coming?"

"I don't know."

"Like hell you don't. You've been on the council long enough to be told these kind of things."

"It just depends on what they decide. I couldn't stick around long enough to find out. I came to find you instead." Ailyn's clothes and hair whipped around her in a scarlet tornado, wind coming to be out of the sheer energy of her anger and hate. Rhea's reaction was similar, though she was glowing and pulsing a low frequency sound that sounded as unreal as it was.

"You're lying." Rhea's voice was dangerously low. "You have to know. They would never keep you in the dark about this."

"You can't know. You'll run."

"Oh really? And how can you be so sure?"

"If I were in your position, I'd run."

"If I were in yours," Rhea was behind Ailyn in a flash, her voice menacing and right next to the other mage's ear. "I would make it so you could never run."

"Remember," In an instant, their positions were reversed. Ailyn's fingers were digging into Rhea's neck, a faint glow pulsing from them. "I'm one you don't want to cross."

"Yes, but I've grown strong over the years. After the exile and this pointless guard duty, I had a lot of...pent up rage. Years of harbouring that kind of anger will do things to a person."

"You've always been dramatic."

"Oh, it's not drama anymore."

"You've always been a good liar too."

"You want to take the chance that I'm lying?" She now had the fingertips of both hands resting lightly on Ailyn's shoulders, a small stream of magic binding them. Ailyn squirmed, finding that she couldn't move.

"Well, I guess you _have_ gotten stronger."

"Don't forget it any time soon." Rhea released her and tore down the sound barrier on the walls. "Tell the council that I'll see them when I'm ready and not to meddle in my affairs. Tell them that they're turning out to be more trouble than they're worth."

"Still tactless as well." she rubbed a shoulder absently. "I'll talk to them. Just don't do anything careless while you're waiting." Then, in a scarlet burst, she was gone.

-------

The shadows turned into smoke as she walked briskly through them. It had rained only recently. The grass was long and damp. As she ran her hands through it, the bright red came off and ran down the leaves, pooling at the bottom. It would be gone in the morning, she knew, and by the time the bodies were recovered, she would be long gone. As she walked, she felt around her body for the injuries she had received, binding them off with her seemingly endless supply of magic. It had grown in the two short days she had been in the magical realms, and she knew it would keep growing until it reached its limits. As she reacquainted herself with the feeling of letting magic become a sixth sense, she could feel herself growing stronger. It felt right, and she reminded herself that this was the way it was supposed to be. People like her were supposed to be alone. They weren't supposed to work in groups or teams. Rather, they were supposed to range out independently as their immense power allowed, leaving group work for the weak.

As much as she loved her group, she was beginning to see that they were better off without her, and she without them.

* * *

**A/N: Please keep reviewing! I love to hear from everyone.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry this took so long to do. Between writer's block and differences in opinion about the plot, I'm just glad it got up at all.**

* * *

Rhea cursed as she ducked under a tree branch, this small branch part of a group of them obstructing the path. Their slow procession had been stretching on for more days than anybody cared to count and people were starting to get annoyed. Catherine and Warrick, temporarily holding Sara's leadership position, had been keeping their eye one everyone and the general morale of the entire group. Their first red flag had sprung up when they only needed one campfire, as opposed to their usual two or three. Now alerted, they had watched certain group members sneak off into the greenery less and less subtly. It had gotten to the point where, when fed up, people would just walk away and not return. After so many had left, the deterioration of their once strong group was apparent. Even Rhea, trying to be the optimist, had figured out that things were going to get worse before they got better - and that was assuming that they _would _get better.

"How long do we plan to let this go on?" Shen, one of the few of the warriors left, had asked the same question over and over anxiously. "Rhea? Anyone? Someone has to have an idea."

"Why don't you just shut up." Rain muttered, glaring at him. "You think that if anyone had a clue we'd still be doing this?" She waved a hand roughly at the trees. "We're going to die out here."

"Positive thoughts." This had become Violet's mantra. By the tone she used, slightly rough and dull, it wasn't her first time trying to calm her sister, who had proven to have a wild temper.

"Will you be _quiet!" _

"Guys, please." Rhea, as hard as she had been trying to remain optimistic to keep the group together, just sounded tired.

"She's right. If we want to see this through..." Warrick had made this speech before, and barely needed to start it before everyone looked guilty.

"Do we even know what the goal is anymore?" Rain asked. "I mean, it's turned into just getting through the day without losing people," Another glare at a retreating man. "but didn't we originally have a mission?"

"Find the scroll. The one about the demon king and reincarnating him." Catherine reminded them.

"How'd we figure out to go this way? I mean, look at it," Another rough gesture. "Looks like a bunch of trees to me."

"Entry in the document manager's log. Left directions...of sorts. Travel through the fields of despair, which we've done, then fields of greens, high mountains, then underground. I guess there are signs or something then." Rhea did a quick double take. "I told you _all _of this when we got you. How have you forgotten?"

"Oh, I haven't." She smiled, half warm, half wicked. "Just making sure you haven't either."

"Such a cliché."

"Whatever. I say we give it a rest for a couple days. It couldn't hurt."

"We have to keep going."

"Who says?"

"Sara did. Remember? _We have to keep moving or else they'll find us..."_

"I don't see Sara, do you?"

"You're honestly suggesting this?" Though Rhea's eyes were wide in disbelief, she couldn't hide the excitement sparkling behind them.

"Why not? If we don't eventually take a break, we'll all die anyways. We'll just drop like flies."

"You just want us to go against the wishes of our one true leader and stop like sitting ducks?"

"Our _absent _leader." Rain reminded her. "If she doesn't care enough about us to stay here, why not find a new one? I'll take the job if nobody's offering." Air hissed out through Violet's teeth as she listened. "And I say we stop."

"This is the most irresponsible thing you've ever suggested." Violet said, glaring. "Sara said we keep going, so we keep going."

"Vi, _She's not here." _

"Still..."

"We just talked about this. I'm leader now, so I say we stop." Her declaration of power sounded like a joke that had already been taken so far as to become believable.

"Rain..."

"Violet, she's right." Rhea's voice held an authoritative double timbre that, whether she willed it to or not, forced everyone to agree. "For one night. We'll find a village."

"Fine." Though she couldn't overtly defy Rhea, Violet sounded mutinous. As they continued walking, she smacked Rain on the side of the head and started muttering furiously, throwing around words that sounded strange in her high, innocent voice.

"Face it Vi," Rain whispered for her sister's ears alone. "Nobody noticed but you, and now that they're listening to me, they'll pay our plan no attention whatsoever."

"It was stupid, risky and wrong." She snapped in the same muted tone, alerting nobody. "You're going to get us caught."

"I won't. Think about it. How easy will it be to take action in a town as opposed to in a forest with nobody in it but us. We should cross the border soon anyways, and then things will really start moving. I've done us a favour, Violet, whether you recognize it or not. When this works, you'll be thanking me."

-------

"I was wondering when you'd find your way back to us." Tyrain, an old acquaintance of Sara's, stretched his hands out in front of him and smiled. The others draped over furniture in the room smiled and a few even chuckled.

"It hasn't been that long." At his chiding look, Sara sighed. "Okay, so it _has _been a while. I've been busy."

"Busy in the mortal realms, if the rumours have any authority."

"I'm half mortal, remember?"

"_Sure _you are." He waved a dismissal hand. "Have you rethought my...proposition?"

"That's not why I'm here."

"I recall you having a better sense of humour." He sighed when her face remained serious. "I recall you having _a _sense of humour."

"This isn't the time."

"Ah. So this is a business visit?"

"This is a protection visit."

"You've lost me."

"I can't tell you here."

"Come." Tyrain gave her his hand as he stood. Though she eyed it pointedly, she slid her hand into his warm, familiar grip and allowed him to lead her to a closed room. With the wave of his hand, he vacated it and sat, watching her walk around slowly. "Do you remember this place?"

"I'm not old like you are. I still have my memory."

"Impudent girl."

"Stop joking. This is a serious subject."

"_What _is a serious subject? You've said nothing to me."

"I'm sure you don't know."

"It could be a number of things, my dear."

"Being you, I'm sure you've heard of the take-over at the Grand Council Ministry." Tyrain was known through all the realms as the king of the Guild of Thieves, though the name was just a formality. He was, in essence, the purveyor of all things on the other side of the law. As bad as the general title sounded, it was necessary. He kept honour among those who were on his side and kept things in place, allowing for everyone to work and live peacefully.

"Of course. Is that what this is about?"

"Yes. They're following me."

"They can catch you?"

"They're mostly warriors. They can move just about as fast as I can."

"Almost but not quite?"

"Exactly. They _are _catching up though, and it's suicide to go this alone."

"Ah, so it is protection that's what you want?"

"Not...exactly."

"Company then? You have to give me something to work with."

"I don't really know what I want. Coming here just felt right."

"Hadn't I heard that you were with a group of vagrants?"

"Oh please. You're a vagrant. But, yeah, I was with a group."

"Did they get...caught up with?"

"God, no. I left them."

"Excuse me?" His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You said it yourself: It's suicide to go this alone."

"I know, but I couldn't pull them into this. It's between me and my enemies. It doesn't concern anyone else."

"Yet somehow it concerns me?"

"You promised to stand by me." She accused. "Are you backing out?"

"Absolutely not. I just need to put into perspective what you're asking of me. Why do you think I should endanger my own when you refuse to endanger yours?"

"Because I'm _still _one of your own. You told me that that would never, ever change."

"Honey..." He faltered when his words were thrown back at him. After so long, he was surprised she had remembered those words that he seemed to have uttered lifetimes ago.

"Oh. My. God." Sara's face broke into a smile. "You're worried."

"Worry? About you? How could I?" He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, his fingers lingering on her cheek longer than necessary. "I remember all you can do."

"You'd also do well to remember that I said no to you the first time around." She removed his hand and looked pointedly into his eyes which were barely concealing a passion that he had held for the years they had been apart.

"I understand that you did not wish to be my queen," He tried to act nonchalant, but he couldn't hide the love burning behind his eyes. "I have asked others."

"Then why is it that you still have no queen?" She challenged.

"They have not passed the final tests."

"There are tests now?"

"They're new." he waved a dismissal hand in the air and she grinned. She knew that there were no new tests to pass. There had never been any to begin with, and nobody would dare change something so important. Through a subtext that she had grown to understand after years of being close with him, she knew that the test they did not pass was the one of his preference and willingness to give his heart.

"I'm sorry you still haven't found your other half."

"Oh, I know exactly where she is." He tried to make it a joke, but his expression was as serious as she had ever seen it.

"Tyrain," she sighed. "If I'm going to stay here, we need to fix this." she lowered her voice, keeping in mind the listening ears of everyone on the other side of the paper thin walls. "You can't keep openly chasing me if you want things to work between me and everyone else."

"They mean nothing." His hand hovered above her shoulder. "I will order them to leave us if that's what will get you to be mine."

"Ty." She moved towards the wall, his body turning so he could watch her. "You can't. If you get rid of them all, the Guild will be nothing. Then who'll protect me?"

"I will. With my life."

"You're not enough."

"Oh, that hurts." He wasn't offended, but she found no humour in the situation.

"I'm _serious. _I'm in trouble."

"What have you been doing?"

"Things that very powerful people might find...undesirable. They know I'm alone. They want me. And I know I can't fight all of them alone. I could end them, but if there were more..." She shuddered. "I just can't chance it. Not now."

"Not after what you've become." he murmured.

"Exactly. I need you and I need to Guild. But you need to treat me like you treat everyone else so what happened last time won't happen again. The reason I left in the first place was because of the enmity that grew between me and everyone else. Nobody liked the inequality then, and nobody's going to like it now. Treat me like you treat them and I'll leave. You can deal with my body when they kill me."

"Don't be ridiculous. There isn't a person here who would do anything to you against my will."

"You can never know everything that goes on behind your back. Besides, I can never be with you now that I lead these realms."

"I bet you could do it." His fingertips grazed her cheek before she turned away. "You can do it." he whispered as she walked out the door. "You can do anything."

-------

Catherine strolled over to one of the dying campfires and sat down to poke the embers with a stick. She was on edge, sensing that something big was going to happen. Sleeping was not an option.

She looked up at the sky sprinkled with stars and just stared, listening to the soft sounds of the forest. Everyone else had already left for the inn where they were spending the night, the scattered fires of that night's outdoor feast remnants of the community and its people. She knew that she should be sleeping - allowing her senses to regenerate before another day of needing them to be ready. She gazed lazily into the flames once more, but jumped up when she saw the silhouette of a person standing on the other side of them. Her hands were instantly engulfed in her pink and white magical fire, and she kept her voice low and menacing.

"Who are you." she demanded, squinting through the fire to try and get a defined image of the person's face.

"Don't." Sara stepped closer until her features were lit up. "I'm not going to hurt anyone."

"I didn't..." Catherine was shocked to see her friend. She, along with everyone else, had assumed that Sara's departure was for good. That she would never be coming back.

"I know. I didn't plan on you being out this late."

"Couldn't sleep."

"I realize that." Sara sighed and rubbed a hand over her tired looking face. "Catherine, you can't tell anyone I was here."

"They'll find out for themselves in the - "

"No, they won't. I'm not staying."

"If you didn't intend to stay, why come at all?" She said angrily.

"You think I'm that careless? To leave all of you alone? I know if something goes wrong you might not be able to help yourselves. If your enemies are powerful or if there are many of them, we both know that you don't stand a chance." Sara smiled sympathetically. "I've been trailing you since I left you. Every night I poke around, making sure you're alright. Just because I choose not to stay with the group doesn't mean I don't care."

"We just assumed..."

"I know." Now her voice was sad. "Almost all of you were once mortal, or spend a lot of time in the mortal realms. Mortals assume everything. If someone leaves you, it means they don't care? I've never understood that." she sighed again and looked up at the sky. "I should get back. Don't get it in your mind to wait for me here every night, because I won't do this again. If anyone is here, I won't come, and believe me, it's better if I come." She waved before disappearing into the forest. "And Catherine? Don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Catherine murmured, knowing Sara could still hear her.

-------

Tearing through the forest, Sara cursed her bad decision. She had seen Catherine. She was fast enough that she could have left, leaving only an illusion in her friend's mind. But she couldn't. Now she was feeling the pull towards the group that she had been fighting since she left. The emotional pull that came with knowing that she was leaving so many friends behind.

Her senses ranging out in all directions around her, she knew the rebels were coming when they were still miles away. Now set on a single purpose - leading them away from the people she was trying so hard to protect with her absence - she sped up and streaked through the trees faster than she had ever gone. She was no longer fuelled by anger; No longer running at an unnatural speed because she liked it or because it made her feel powerful. She was now running for safety - the safety of everything she loved. So she ran, her vision blurred behind a watery film, tears streaming down her face, away from the people that meant more to her than the world, leading their enemy deeper and deeper into the forest.

* * *

**A/N: Please review if you liked it, and even if you didn't. I love to hear from everyone! Thanks for reading!**


	21. Chapter 21

"Watch."Rhea motioned everyone forward, laying flat on the ridge of a hill. In the valley, oblivious to their audience, the rebels were performing what looked to be a ceremony. A dozen men and women were standing in a circle of rocks and one large, commanding warrior was moving around them, slicing the air with a sharp blade and calling out ceremonial words in an ancient tongue.

"What is it?" Nick asked, pressed flat to the grass on Rhea's right.

"They're initiating new warriors."

"More?" Warrick's expression was hard like stone. "They already have twice our numbers."

"This is good, though. This means that their warriors are dying. They're either fighting amongst themselves violently enough to cause fatal harm, or being picked off by something or someone else. Both tip the odds in our favour."

"That's malicious." Catherine said.

"That's life." Rhea grimaced. "This way, we don't have to...do it ourselves."

"Ah, the silver lining." Warrick rolled his eyes. "Do you intend to watch the _whole _ceremony?"

"No. We're going to attack them in the middle of it."

"What?" His tone was flat and dripping with disbelief.

"They'll never expect it, and that pathway they're blocking with their camp is the only one that will take us into the mountains."

"Ceremonies are sacred, Rhea. You're the one who always used to stress that."

"We can't afford to be polite anymore." Her eyes hardened slightly. "And we don't have to offer that option to people who have been, for the past couple of months, trying to _kill _us."

"Point taken. What's our plan?"

"Actually," Rhea surveyed their sizeably smaller group and grimaced. "Since everyone's started..."

"Abandoning us like the spineless sissies they are." Rain filled in.

"Thanks for using discretion. Anyways, since people have left, we don't really have the option of surrounding them, and stealth isn't an option with the rock wall on either side."

"So you're saying that you're looking at a frontal attack?" Warrick asked.

"Exactly. It's really our only option."

"Yes, let's just all willingly walk to our untimely deaths." Rain rolled her eyes.

"Heaven forbid we might not have a cynic in the group." Violet shot back.

"Both of you, cut it out. They'll hear you."

"I think it's too late for that." A warrior was towering above them, his tunic emblazoned with the old Ruler's crest. He brought his sword around in a smooth arc, narrowly missing Nick who shifted into his hawk form just in time to avoid the blade. Taking the small chance they had, the rest of the group jumped up into their ready stances, each one different but equally effective, and surged into the camp.

It became clear that the rebels were the more prepared group when they cleared the ridge, each warrior holding the weapons that best suited them. They outmatched Rhea's group three to one, but it made them cocky right from the beginning, giving the group the edge they needed to hold their own.

As the fight moved on down the hill and into the camp, shots of colour came from the trees, cutting down rebel warriors with an astonishing speed that, in the confusion, allowed Rhea's group to move forward and hold their own. Though they were fighting at a frighteningly quick pace, the shots of blue-green, red, orange, pink and yellow never came close to hitting anyone other than the rebels, though the wielders were not in sight and thus shooting blind.

Though the invisible mages gave them an advantage, Rhea knew that they weren't faring well in the battle. She kept loose tabs on the number of her warriors running over to Greg to be healed. There were so many of them coming in so frequently that Rain, much to her dismay, had to fall back from the actual battle to fill in.

With the sounds of swords clanging, people grunting and orders being yelled to both parties, the battle was becoming more and more chaotic. Rhea was the main target - everyone knew she was the Ruler and the leader of the group, and they knew that if they took her out of the picture, everything else would fall apart. It wouldn't have taken much for the rebels to take the battle. While fighting their own battles, Rhea's warriors were trying to be everywhere at once to protect her, as well as being handicapped by lack of a battle plan.

The more experienced of the rebels understood without speaking that they had to isolate Rhea so, as subtly as they could, they drew their individual opponents as far away as they could. The mysterious colourful flashes shooting out of the trees did their best to herd everyone into the same area, consistent shots of blue-green doing most of the work. As hard as they tried, eventually everybody was spread out with Rhea on the edges with only Violet for protection. One of the rebels noticed the opportunity with a grin. He advanced on Rhea, drawing his sword and pointing it at Violet, whose back was turned.

"Violet!" Rain yelled. "Move!"

Violet spun just in time to avoid a blade arcing towards her. Rhea, no warning directed to her, moved right into the path of the oncoming blade and fielded the entire blow. The enormous amount of self-control she possessed allowed her to continue fighting with only a narrowing of her eyes and clenching of her teeth, but the blood already seeping through her clothes gave an indicator of how much pain she had to be in.

Warrick knew it was time for him to take over. Rhea was no longer concentrating or clear headed, and they were bound to start making mistakes without a distinct leading force.

"Rhea," he murmured in her ear, fighting back to back. "The path is open. We can run."

"We're not running." Her voice was tight. "We're finishing this fight."

"Pride isn't an option. You're hurt and we're all tired. We're losing. We have to run."

She barely waited a second before answering. "Fine."

It was like she had shouted her response. Everyone, at the same time, seemed to know what the plan of action was. They broke away from their opponents as cleanly as they could and ran. The rebels followed, right on their tails as their tore up a twisting mountain path, and then there was a flash. It was multicoloured, exploding around them in brilliant shades of blue, green, red, yellow, orange, pink, white and black, momentarily blinding them all. When their sight returned, they were standing high on a mountain ridge, looking down at the confused rebels. Warrick, already on edge, was the first to recover. He thought it was a trap - a trick or ruse set up by the rebels to disorient them and leave them unprepared for an attack. That was, until he heard Catherine.

"This is a surprise." Despite her words, she didn't sound surprised. In fact, she sounded slightly angry.

"Shouldn't be." Sara, now standing in front of them, had her arms crossed in front of her. Her expression was dark and her eyes flashed in anger.

"Why not? You left us for almost a month without a word. Nobody expected to see you again."

"You clearly fail without me, so what choice did I have? You're getting my position back. I couldn't just let you die."

"We're not too far from death now. Have you seen Rhea?"

"She's what made up my mind. Great job protecting your leader, by the way. I was so glad that I wasted my time protecting you. And Rain," Sara's eyes shot daggers at Rain. "I saw your great show of loyalty."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember '_Violet, Move!'_? What were you doing?"

"Saving my sister's life." Rain's eyes narrowed at Sara. "What would you have had me do."

"Give Rhea a little warning, maybe? She's our leader. Her protection is top priority."

"Not for me. I'm not sacrificing the life of my sister for Rhea, no matter _who _she is. Violet will always mean more to me. No exceptions."

"I'm starting to question your alliance, Rain." Sara growled. "And you don't want me for your enemy."

"If you have something to say to me, Sara, just say it. I'm tired of all your crap."

"Whose side are you on, Rain. That's all I want to know."

"I'm on _your side." _Inexplicably, a tear slid down Rain's cheek. "It was like this before you left. Why don't you trust me? What am I supposed to do to prove myself to you?"

"Maybe protect your leader before anybody else? That would be just fine."

"You're asking me to screw my sister over?" Now she was flat out sobbing. Violet hung back, flashes of worry painting her expression. "How would you feel if I asked you to do that?"

"I don't have a sister, Rain, and I understand that the leader of _any _group comes first."

"What if it was the leader of your work team?"

"Grissom? I'd understand that his protection is warranted because of his position. Like you should with Rhea."

"What if you had to choose between Grissom and Jordan?"

Sara's shape blurred slightly and pulsed darkly. She spat on the ground and growled deep in her throat.

"Never talk about her again. _Ever._" She whipped around and yelled back to everyone. "Let's go."

"You're staying?" Greg asked hopefully.

"Of course I am. Who else is going to keep Rain in check."

"Now wait just a second." Violet snapped. "She might not be perfect, but she saved my _life. _That has to count for something."

"Vi, just leave it." Rain said quietly, her voice echoing her broken spirit, tears still running down her cheeks. "It's not worth it."

"What's wrong with Sara?" Grissom asked Rhea quietly as they followed Sara up the mountain. "She's usually more...diplomatic than this."

"I don't care. She's being terrible. Rain certainly doesn't deserve that." Murmured agreements came from everyone who was in listening range.

"We have to keep an eye on her. Having someone so centred on their own needs in a lead position is never a good thing."

"Agreed." Catherine nodded. "Don't worry, Rain. She can't keep this up if we're all against it. She's better than that."

"You're as much a part of our warriors as everybody else, and we understand that, even if she doesn't." Nick said warmly.

"Thanks." Rain murmured as they walked past her to follow their rightful leader. Only Violet hung back.

"Nice job." Shewhispered, for Rain's ears alone. "Now you've got their sympathy. I have to admit, the tears were a great idea. They almost looked real."

"Now that they feel sorry for me," Rain grinned wickedly. "they'll never question us again."

From the head of the line, Sara listened to their exchange. She grimaced at their well thought out plan. It was true that with the rest of the group on their side, Sara would seem like a monster if she so much as talked about their plans to take over. It seemed that Violet and Rain were craftier than she had assumed, and in staying away as long as she had, she had only dug herself into a hole so deep that she could no longer see a way out.

* * *

**A/N: Hope everybody liked the chapter. Please review and tell me what you thought!**


	22. Chapter 22

The trip up the mountain was the longest part of the journey since they had started. As they went further and further up the path, the air thinned and got colder, slowing them down and freezing them to the bone. Sara wasn't helping. As nice as it was to have her back in the picture, she hadn't said a word to them since her fight with Rain. She set a pace almost impossible to keep up with, always at the head of the line, stalking angrily. The inexplicable anger she had exhibited since her return kept her tightly wound, like a coiled spring. The trail snaked down the mountain just below the peak, but they had stopped to look behind and ahead of them.

The rebels had figured out that Rhea and her warriors had somehow gotten past them and up the mountain. They were slowly making their way up the trail, but the going was slow. Sara had, to her credit, been doing an excellent job of protecting her warriors. She sent small waves of magic down the trail to slow up the rebels any way she could.

"Look." Sara said, pointing out past the base of the mountain towards a blanket of white. "That's where we're headed. We'll be there in a day if we walk fast."

"We've _been_ walking fast. Are you sure this is the best idea?" Nick asked skeptically.

"We need to get to the divine realms if we want that scroll, and the directions were to come through these mountains, so that's what we're going to do." She snapped. "You didn't _need _to come along."

"None of us can get back to the mortal realms on our own." Greg pointed out. "We really have no choice."

"By all means, if you want to leave, just say the word and I'll send you."

"You're being illogical." Grissom told her, voice calm and rational as always. Despite everything that had happened - despite the changes that everyone had undergone - Sara assumed that this would always be the same about him. "We want to be here, and we are all still members of your team. It's your change in attitude that has everybody nervous."

"Change in attitude." She scoffed. "It's more that I've learned to experience the proper emotional responses to what we're facing."

"And what would those be, huh?" Rhea asked, her tone biting and acidic. "Anger, bitterness, ferocity, insanity? Pick any, please."

"Insanity? Please. I'm more sane now than I ever - "

"Sanity is leaving everyone who's devoted their lives to help your cause and - "

"Rhea," Grissom warned. "Enough." Though in position, Rhea was his superior, Grissom would always have the upper hand, and not just because their society was patriarchal in nature. In a crisis of leadership, he had always possessed the ability to remain calm and rational, allowing him to take over and mediate almost any situation, even one where the two antagonizing each other were powerful mages who could, at will, obliterate him or one another.

"You are both being ridiculous." He didn't as much as flinch at the cold glares he got from both of them. "The two of you should be working together as the leading team you were meant to be. You've worked together in an animus environment before and there was no problem."

"That's because Sara wasn't off her rocker then." Rhea mumbled.

"Want to repeat that?" Sara growled.

"Stop." He held up a hand between them and stared long and hard at both of them. "Can you both not put your differences aside if only just to work together on this one occasion?"

"It's not a 'difference' that we're having problems with. It's that Sara's being unnecessarily antagonistic towards everybody."

"That's not true. Gil, tell her that's not true."

"I'm sorry, Sara, but it is. You've been rude, unreasonable and short tempered for no apparent reason. You may not see a difference, but we all notice it."

"Yeah," Nick said. "When we first came here a year ago, you were kind and gentle and en excellent teacher. You taught us everything we now know, but you did it with patience. Now, simply our inability to move as fast as you angers you, and that's not a good quality in a leader. And then there's your behaviour towards Rain. It's a completely unwarranted hatred, and it's something that she doesn't deserve. She's only tried to help us, and somehow she's fallen from your favour regardless. The old you wouldn't have condoned this behaviour from anybody else, so you should not condone it from yourself."

"Thanks so much for the glowing commentary. I appreciate it more since I _don't recall asking your opinion._ I must be mistaken, though, because I never pegged you as one to speak out of turn." Sara glared at Nick. "Honestly. I don't need your nose poked into every single one of my affairs."

"This is what he means, Sara." Catherine said quietly, so different from Grissom's stoic peacefulness and Nick's controlled anger. "You used to be graceful enough to take constructive criticism without snapping at the speaker, but now look at you. It's true and you know it is. If you can't accept that your behaviour is a problem, at least realize that you can't be an effective leader if all you do is yell at us. If you can't change for your own sake, then at least be civil when you're leading our group. Everyone will work better without all the friction between us."

"So my 'behaviour' is unwarranted? Have you been around at all? Have you seen what's been happening to me? I have a whole group of people who are trying to kill me, a former group member probably revealing all our secrets as we speak, and now my entire group of warriors hate me. So think about _that _when you tell me that my behaviour isn't warranted."

"Sara," Grissom held up a hand to silence Catherine, who was clearly biting back a response. "We all know that this isn't easy for you, and we're trying to understand and give you your space, but everybody, I'm sure, agrees that it would be easier on you with us on your side, and you'll need to be a little more...diplomatic for that to happen. That's all we ask."

"It'll be hard." She said stubbornly, but Grissom could hear her softening. Sara, as hard headed as she had always been , wasn't stupid, and when confronted with such an undeniable argument, she couldn't help but concede.

"Of course it won't be easy," He said, placing a hand on her shoulder briefly.

"That's why you have us." Violet added with a grin. Sara's expression darkened slightly as she looked at Violet and Rain, but she repressed it quickly before anybody could notice her discomfort. She nodded her thanks at everyone in turn, winning her warm smiles. They had never really been angry at her, and were all too ready to welcome her back with open arms.

"Sorry, you guys. I'll be...better behaved from now on. At least around the group." To her credit, Sara looked embarrassed about her earlier actions, and nobody dared question her new, forgiving mood.

"It's fine." Rhea sighed and patted Sara on the shoulder as she passed. "We'd better move or we'll freeze." Then she grinned. "You'd better get in front of me and do your thing...leader." Sara's face broke into a smile as she skipped past Rhea and continued up the trail, returning once again to her rightful position.

-------

"Please say this is going to be over soon." Rhea looked up the mountain, rubber her healing wound and groaned. "I thought it was all downhill from the ridge."

"Not exactly. It's a ruse." The red-orange glow surrounding Sara grew - a warming spell, she had told them, that kept each of them from freezing, though there were too many for her to physically make them feel warm. The temperature, even with the spell, equated to about -40 degrees Celsius, and the exposure would have probably already killed them if not for Sara. Despite their earlier friction, there wasn't one person unhappy with her return.

"Is _that _a ruse as well?"Greg asked, staring openly at Rain. She was the only one who insisted being outside the warming spell's protective cover. In only a sheer top and knee-length skirt, she looked as happy in the frigid temperature as they had ever seen her.

"No, that's not a ruse. Even _I _don't fully understand what that is."

"Rain," Violet laughed, completely unconcerned with her sister's actions despite her previous overprotective tendencies. "You're freaking everybody out."

"_They're _freaking _me _out. It's so _beautiful _out, I can't believe they're wrecking it with that wretched warming spell." Rain replied indignantly.

"We can't all be immune, Ray." Violet laughed again and turned to the group to explain. "Rain was born in an ice realm."

"Correction: I was born in _the _ice realm. The coldest of all possible realms in the world. Any world."

"And exactly how does that help you?" Greg, ever curious, asked.

"I'm an example of adaptation at its best. As a foetus, I grew in a colder temperature than most, so during my nine months I learned to deal with the cold naturally. It doesn't even bother me now."

"How cold can it get before it bothers you?"

"I don't really know. I've gotten down to...what was it, Vi?"

"No clue. It was...negative 102 when you were born...I think."

"How can that be? Those temperatures just don't exist on earth."

"We're not on earth, now, are we?" Rain grinned wickedly. "It's called...natural adaption, I think. It means that nature knows...kind of...that its people will adapt to its temperatures, so the temperatures here soar. On both ends of the spectrum. It gets unbearable in some spots."

"And she's none too friendly when we're in those spots, believe me." Violet grinned. "The downside of being immune to cold: you're hypersensitive to heat."

"Right now, I'd take it." Catherine shivered. "This is cruel."

"This is the point. Whoever hid the scroll wanted it to be hard - almost to the point of cruelty, yes - to make sure that whoever wants it wants it enough and has the power and strength to endure the trip." Sara explained. "But don't worry. This leads to the portal to the divine realms. It's beautiful there."

"If we get there." Rhea said. "We have far to go, and the rebels might already have people there."

"Don't worry about the rebels. Except for that one camp, they've been behind you the entire time. Now that you're past the last of them, we should be in the clear for the rest of the trip."

"There was a band of them that got ahead of us in the woods," Rhea corrected. "I think that's it though. If we find them, or even just avoid them, we'll be able to get the scroll."

"I took care of them already." Sara smiled a mysterious smile that looked almost evilly motivated.

"Really?"

"Really. You don't think I just sat around all day waiting for the right time to come back, do you?"

"Well...no, but I didn't expect that you'd be out assassinating people. Is that _all _you've been doing."

"No, it isn't all she's been doing." The man who stepped out of the rock smiled at them. "She's been with me."

"Tyrain." Sara sighed. "I knew you wouldn't leave me alone." She turned to the group quickly. "Guys, Tyrain and vice versa. He's leader of the group of people on the other side of the law. He's a friend, be nice." Then she turned back to him. "Did you come here for a specific reason? Is something wrong?"

"Of course not, love. I've been following you."

"I can take care of myself, Ty."

"I know, I know. You're almighty and powerful and you need help from nobody."

"I didn't say that. It's just ludicrous for you to be following me around when you have your own people to look after."

"You _are _one of my people. That will never change no matter how long we are apart."

"Tyrain, I can handle myself. Please, just let me."

"I know you can." He ran a hand over her cheek and she tensed, but didn't pull away. "That's why I've come to tell you I'm going back to my realm. I just thought it would do you well to know that these two were following you." He flicked his hands and two scowling women stumbled out from behind him, restrained by shackles glowing with the colours of Tyrain's magic.

"Well well, what have we here?" Sara walked a circle around the two new women, slowly almost as if she were stalking her prey. "Two rebel spies, perhaps?"

"Not even." One woman, the taller of the two, glowered at something invisible to them. "We're on your side."

"One hundred percent." The other agreed with a definitive nod.

"Are you really?" Rhea ambled over casually. "Are you sure you're not just saying that, like, say..._everybody else_?"

"We're not."

"We promise."

"Why are you here, then?" Sara narrowed her eyes and scrutinized them.

"They burned our village in pursuit of you. Everyone's homes...all the businesses...families...all destroyed. We've been against them ever since, and following you. You're the best chance we have of getting our revenge."

"They're not lying." Violet murmured, having looked into both their thoughts.

"Thoughts can be masked." Rhea muttered back. "Sara?"

"On it." Sara held out one of her hands to each of the new women. "Give me your hands. One each."

"Why?" The taller woman asked, suitably apprehensive.

"Do you want me to trust you or not?"

"You'd better do it, Hazel." The other woman said, placing her hand in Sara's. "She's serious."

"Don't hurt me, alright?" The one called Hazel still looked cautious.

"You're not exactly in a position to be negotiating terms." Sara grabbed her hand and closed her eyes. Both of the new women jumped as if they had been shocked, and Sara grinned.

"What did you _do?_" The still-nameless woman was staring at her hand, where a glowing blue-green symbol was fading.

"Mage mark." Sara smiled. "Betray us and you'll die."

"We never would." There was a trace of admiration in Hazel's voice as she examined the mark.

"That's what they all say." Rhea snorted. "So, who are you?"

"I'm Hazel, that's Shade." she pointed to the other woman.

"I find it hard to believe that anybody named their child Shade. That's weird, even for this world."

"See. Even _she _thinks it's weird." Shade rolled her eyes at Hazel. "It's _actually _Nightshade, and she's Witch-hazel."

"Our village dictates that all children's names must be derived from plants." Hazel grinned. "Once, someone got stuck with Conifer as a name. Poor guy."

"What exactly _are _you two?" Warrick asked, regarding them with careful scrutiny.

"Hazel is a shape-shifter." Shade said. "I'm an elementalist."

"That's rare." Now Sara was looking at Shade with interest. "How good?"

"Not bad. I can do the most with air and fire, but I can control earth and water more than competently."

"Excellent. You'll come in handy."

"Yes, she will. I'm glad things worked out for the best with these two." Tyrain nodded his approval. "I'm going to be heading out."

"You'll be careful?" Sara asked. Despite her denial of affection, she looked genuinely concerned.

"Of course. I'm more inclined to be worried about _you."_

"There's no need. I have a good group."

"You also have us on your side, don't forget. Once a Guild member, always a Guild member. The guild rules still apply to you, and will as long as you live. Eternity, I guess. Never forget. "

"I won't."

"Then, it's goodbye for now." He smiled warmly at her. "Remember, you have protection everywhere. All you need to do is ask." With a wink, he was gone.

"What did he mean by _The guild rules still apply?" _Warrick asked.

"I was once a member of his group." Sara gazed wistfully at the spot from which he had just disappeared. "We were called the Guild. There was this loyalty rule that any and all Guild members, past and present, are required to help out any other member when help is needed."

"Whenever? No conditions?" Every warrior's eyes shone at the prospect.

"Whenever. No conditions." Sara nodded. "It also means that I have to help any one of _them, _but don't anticipate that happening. Guild members are proud people. They only ask when absolutely necessary, so _don't _go talking about my being a member and asking for help, because I'll send them off, and then they might not come next time. Understand?"

"It's understood." Almost the entire group chimes in together, making a humorous yet comforting show of teamwork and understanding.

"Excellent." Sara grinned, and even though she knew she repeated it incessantly, said, "Now let's get moving."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Hope you'll be as gratuitous with this one. Thanks!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate it.  
Ray, this is _it_. This chapter is yours and yours alone. I'm sorry. I forgive you. **

* * *

"Here we are, you guys," Sara said, stopping in a valley. She brought her hand around in a half circle, gesturing to everything with an air of importance. "The Divine Realms."She didn't necessarily need to announce it, because there was no doubt in anybody's mind. The sight before them truly was _divine. _

There were rolling fields nestled between the two beautiful, snowy mountains from which they had just descended. The grass was a sharp, fresh green dotted with soft, colourful patches of wildflowers. In the distance, they could see a clear, sparkling stream meandering down from the peaks and leading farther into the gorgeous realms.

"It's beautiful." Catherine breathed, her words the mirror of everyone's thoughts.

"It is, isn't it?" Rhea turned a full circle, breathing deeply with her eyes closed. She hadn't been to the divine realms in ages, having been too busy with Ruling recently, or exiled in the past. "Please tell me we're staying."

"For a little while." Sara grinned, as happy as the rest. The Divine Realms had that effect on people, no matter who they were or where they were from. They were designed - naturally or otherwise, nobody knew - to appeal to each of the five senses of anybody who came into the realm. Everything one person experienced would seem to be the most gratifying to their individual senses. Things such as temperature, smell, light, and even touch or taste varied from person to person. As they threw around their opinions, it was a surprise to see exactly how different they were.

Denia, a warrior, said it was extremely warm, smelled like fresh cut grass and was almost _too _bright. On the other hand, Nick said the light was green-tinged, the temperature was lukewarm, and it smelled dusty and almost woodsy. Of course, Rain's divine realm was well below freezing with blue tinged light and a cold vanilla scent, truly different from all the others.

"I could stay here forever." Rhea murmured, barely audible yet addressing her companions. "It's perfect."

"We _are _going to have to start looking for the passage soon." Sara reminded her reluctantly. "Otherwise the rebels will catch up and all this will have been for nothing."

"True," Rhea sighed and took one long, lingering look at the gorgeous landscape, then focused her gaze intently on Sara. "We going South?"

"South-east." Sara nodded. "I've done some looking around, and there's a passage there that fits the timeline for the scroll and its concealment _perfectly. _And it's out of the way, has been closed for centuries, and when I was there earlier, it looked like there were actually sentries out front. It's an excellent bet."

"Sounds kind of sketchy, if you ask me." Violet said, regarding Sara with such an intense curiosity that she was sure Violet was trolling through her thoughts.

"If they're putting forth so much effort to protect something that supposedly stopped functioning years ago, there's clearly something in there. If it's not in that passage, then there are several other good prospects."

"Chasing our tails again?" Rhea grimaced.

"Cynic."

"The way it is." She shrugged. "So, south-east?"

"Yup." Sara nodded and turned. "South-east."

-------

In distance, their trek through the divine realms was leaps and bounds longer that their trip through the mountain, but even as Sara pushed them to cover twice the distance in half the time, the hours flew by as if they were no more than seconds. The cold was replaced with prefection, the animosity replaced with friendship and care, the tension replaced with easy conversation and dynamic group relations. It was if nothing had ever gone wrong. Perfection, it seemed, was the only adjective than anybody could use to describe these realms of beauty. The shadows held nothing but shade; the forests nothing but trees. There could never be demons hiding in the shadows. There could never be rebels waiting around the bend, ready to fight and kill. Most of all, there could never be any discontent in the air, no anger, no fear, nothing tainting the exquisite aura that surrounded them. Nothing but happiness and delight.

But even so, _this _group was never alone. Never safe. Never completely at ease with their surroundings. It had proven effective in the past, and would continue to help them as it stretched on into the future. As they continued down the sun-dappled path, lined with alluringly fragrant wildflowers and foamy white bushes that threw off a scent so divine it could only be the product of magical intervention, something cracked. Cracks were all but foreign to the divine realms. Cracks signified imperfection and the taint of mortal cruelty. Cracks were only ever followed by danger. This had been true in the uprising of the earlier centuries and each small battle for control the divines had seen in their everlasting lives.

The shadows peeled back from the source of this imperfect contagion to reveal another person, dressed head to toe in black, with the exception of a deep blue and purple cloak that bore the remains of the old Ruler's crest. The person had seemingly attempted to tear the crested patch off, but magical thread held true through nearly anything. Though the destruction of it was almost complete, there was still enough of the patch to show where this person's true alliance seemed to be. Nobody took any time to find if the image held true to the person, because they acted faster than they thought. Everyone took up their own guard positions, some with weapons, some in strange forms, some with glowing hands. The two new probationary members were especially interesting. Hazel, the shape-shifter, had morphed into a inky black panther so quickly that the change was indiscernible. Shade, her companion, was even more intriguing. Every small, unconscious move she made - shifting her weight, wiggling her fingers - moved something else. Each shift bent tree trunks, and each movement of even the smallest digits moved leaves. She was, no doubt, capable of more, and it was rather impressive for someone of a such a young visual age. Every group member, even Akona, the prisoner, stood immobile but tense, waiting for Sara to give them the command to move forward in their attack, but one couldn't wait, and that brought on the wave of assault that everybody had been waiting for.

Rhea, without hesitation, had thrown a dagger at whoever was coming out of the woods in front of them, her blade glowing in her dark shades of black magic. The dagger was halfway to their unwelcome visitor when Sara stiffened and yelled for them to stop their advance. Everyone skidded to a halt, but the dagger was beyond them. It hit its target with a sickening sound, and the person dropped.

"Stupid!" Sara hissed. "You _wait _until I give you a command before throwing knives at people."

"We're kind of in a...sticky situation here." Rhea muttered. "The fewer people who know, the better."

"She _already knew." _Sara knelt beside the intruder and looked them over once. "So, decided to come back just in time to get knifed by a dark mage? Excellent timing."

"I have to say," The person coughed weakly. "Rhea, you have great aim."

"_Jordan?"_ Rhea dropped to her knees beside Sara. "Oh my god. It _is _you. Where'd I hit?"

Jordan took her hand off the wound in her chest, dangerously close to her heart. Sara sucked in a sharp breath and Rhea looked slightly sick at the sight of the blood flowing steadily out of Jordan's chest - almost pulsing with her heartbeats.

"Greg." Sara's voice was strangled - almost pleading - despite her earlier denials of any alliance or lingering friendship with Jordan.

"Sara, there's nothing I can do." He didn't even need to examine the wound to know than any efforts he could put forth were futile. "If I could..."

"Rain?"

"Sorry," Rain said monotonously, not sounding regretful in the least. "There really isn't anything that can be done."

"Maybe you just want her to die." Sara accused. "Better for your own personal gain?"

"No! I just...can't. Nobody can. It's impossible."

"And exactly why is that, Rain? Greg?"

"The knife." Rhea whispered, her skin now a chalky grey-green pallor. "I infused it. Black Magic. It's a Demon Knife. The poison...it can't be healed out."

"Let me get this straight," Sara's voice was low and tight, ready to snap under the strain of her anger and concern. "You magicked up a Demon Knife to throw at my _best friend _and didn't even think to wait for an order to attack?"

"I didn't know who it was. It could well have been a rebel."

"It could also have been Jordan. Oh wait. _It was_." Her eyes flicked anxiously from Jordan to Rhea. "Now she's dying, and all thanks to you."

"_I didn't know_."

"I don't care, okay!? I just want her healed."

"So you like me again?" Jordan asked with a wry smile. Her voice was soft and wavered with every word. "That was a rapid change of heart."

"It's hard not to like someone who's dying." Sara laughed weakly. "Seems kind of spiteful not to."

"So you like me enough...to save me?" Her voice was but a whisper as she faded.

"Jord..." A tear slid from Sara's cheek. "The Black Magic...it can't be healed out."

"You're powerful enough to overpower it."

"I'm not a trained healer. I wouldn't do any good. I wish I were, believe me, Jordan. Right now, there's nothing I'd rather be. I can't help you."

"But you can." She breathed. "Only you."

"I don't know what -"

"The blood tie." Jordan's eyes drifted shut. " Remember?"

"What?" Sara poked her friend. "Jord, what did you say?" Despite her un-naturally acute hearing, she hadn't been paying attention and completely missed Jordan's last words.

The only response was Jordan's shallow breathing.

"Is she..." Catherine looked down at Jordan. The sadness cracking her voice was in part her disappointment at her inability to perform her duty and protect Jordan, and in part because she simply knew their dying former ally was a good person who didn't deserve her fate, even if she _had _betrayed them.

"She will be. Soon." Rain whispered. Sara noticed that despite her knowledge of Rain's bloodthirsty, traitorous plans, her blonde "ally" actually sounded sorry.

"What did she mean by 'Blood Tie?' " Grissom asked.

"What?" Sara's gaze burned into his eyes, and he suddenly suspected that it was not the time for his inquisitions.

"Never mind."

"No. What did you ask?"

"I...wanted to know what she meant by Blood Tie."

"Is that what she said?"

"Uh...yes?"

"You're not kidding? You heard her say it? Right now?" She was now inches from his face.

"Yes. You don't need to answer now. I apologize for asking."

"No. Don't you see!? _That's _the answer! Grissom, you're a genius!" Sara flung her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the mouth. Grissom suppressed a blush he knew was coming as he analyzed every moment leading up to the kiss he had waited so long for. Akona, so far back in the group he had almost been forgotten, growled angrily, jealous and livid that he hadn't been the one to feel their leader's lips against his.

"I don't think I understand..." Rhea carefully watched Sara pulled a short blade off her belt. "Sara, what are you doing with that?"

"Saving her." Sara sounded entranced as she plunged the blade deep into her arm. Catherine squealed and she, along with Greg, Rain and the majority of the group, lurched towards their leader, hoping to somehow save her from herself.

Sara ignored their attempts, haphazardly throwing a magical wall around her and Jordan, acting as a force field. She took her blade and stabbed it into Jordan's arm in the same spot as her own wound. Pressing them together, a small gasp hissed out between her teeth and she closed her eyes. Blood seeped out from the spot where their arms met, but, strangely, it didn't succumb to the forces of gravity as it should have. Instead, it wove around both Jordan and Sara's arms, drawing bright, flowing lines and symbols that seemed to radiate loyalty and trust, despite being in a language nobody understood.

"What is she doing?" Nick breathed to Rain, unwilling to break through the group's shocked calm, knowing chaos was so close on the other side.

"I don't know." Rain said, too astonished to do anything but stare. "But it's working."

And it was.

Impossibly, as the bloody lines flowed up and around Sara and Jordan's bodies, Jordan's wounds closed. The gaping hole in her chest turned into nothing more than an angry red gash, then a puckered scratch, and then nothing more than a small pink flesh wound. The blood flow between them slowed to the point of nonexistence, and then their arm wounds closed as well, leaving neither of them worse for wear.

"The Blood Tie. I thought you bound it." Sara whispered, her voice only slightly shaky. "I couldn't feel you anymore, so I just assumed..."

"No. I had the magic blocked. It was better for both of us. The spell breaks when we share blood. It should be back and better than ever now. Thanks for saving my life. I know I don't necessarily deserve it after the way I've acted."

"Of course you do. I'm sure you had your reasons." Forgiveness dripped from Sara's voice, almost impossibly considering the harsh accusations she had thrown at Jordan before their separation.

"Oh, believe me, I did. I wish I could have explained before I did what I did, but it wouldn't have worked otherwise. I'll explain later when we're...alone. I can sense that there's some...mistrust in the group." Her eyes rested on Violet and Rain for less than a second, and her gesture was missed by everybody but Sara, for whom it was intended. "Anyways, thanks regardless. I didn't want to die."

"No, thank _you. _I wouldn't have gotten the tip about the Tie without you. The binding spell was good. And I really don't know what I would have done with myself if you had..." Sara looked up at the sky, blinking her tears back furiously. "I missed you, okay?"

"And I you." Jordan hooked an arm around Sara's shoulder and pulled her into her side. "You know it wasn't personal, what I did?"

"I guess on some level, I always did." Sara sighed. "It was easier to be angry than to try and figure you out."

"I know. Anyways, you don't need to worry now, because I am, indeed, back."

"For good?"

"For good." Jordan stood, pulling Sara up with her and setting off in the direction they had been headed. "And, boy, do I have things to tell you."

* * *

**A/N: And voila. Everything has been righted (except all that which is still wrong) and Jordan has made a...less herioc return than planned. Anyways, hope you liked it. Please review and tell me what you thought!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Well, looks like this is going to out-chapter the original On the Edge by leaps and bounds. I'm already at chapter 24 (OTE was 25, and that was a stretch) and things are just starting to heat up. Which is the _only _spoiler I will be giving away, since I've been asked more than once (sorry!) Anyways, thanks to the great reviews from last chapter and some of the happiness that Jordan's back and Sara is pretty much back to her normal self. And really, thanks for reviewing...pretty much at all. I know it's a busy time of year. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"So those guys outside the passage are _not_ actually sentries?" Sara asked, poking the dying flames of the campfire. "Huh. Never would've guessed."

"That's what they want." Jordan nodded and popped another vegetable in her mouth. She claimed that her days of tireless searching had drained her, proving it when she ate twice the portion of a full grown warrior, plus almost all of Sara's dinner. "They were planning to ambush you when you got close to the passage."

"Was their target me or everybody? I don't really think they could kill me if I go in alone."

"Killing's not what they want. They want everybody captured alive. They were planning to...uh..." Her eyes raked over the members of the group, all assembled around the fire. Sara had agreed to tell everyone when Violet and Rain weren't around. The sisters somehow always managed to find something else to do late at night - somewhere else to be. As disconcerting as it was, it had turned out to be - at least for tonight - quite a stroke of luck.

"Wanted to..." Sara prompted.

"They...um..." Jordan leaned over and whispered something in her friend's ear ear. Colour drained from Sara's face and her mouth fell open with a soft gasp.

"Ouch." She whispered. "That's harsh."

"They hate you."

"Just like you?"

"Sara, please. You _know _I don't hate you."

"Do I?" Sara murmured.

"Of course. Why would I have come to warn you otherwise."

"I dunno. Guilty conscience? Leading us into a trap?"

"Would I ever do that?"

"I never thought you'd leave, but you did _that." _

"I explained that." Jordan sighed. She had told Sara that story separately, it being too personal to be spoken in front of a large audience.

Jordan had been planning her departure since she had first been called to the realms. Before she had even made a commitment to help. She hadn't ever considered herself a martyr, but her actions, in essence, had made her just that.

She didn't hate Sara at all, as she had insinuated. In fact, the reason she had left - the reason she had hurt herself and her close friend so much - was because she was that devoted. She knew that she was charismatic - something she had learned to fabricate and amplify with her magical talent early in her years - and she had used it to help her climb the political ladder that existed even in the rebels' society. Thankfully, they had liked her, and thus hadn't been as cagey about their plans and schemes concerning Sara and her warriors. Most of them had been half-baked and not functional or practical, but this final plan that was to take place at the eleventh hour right in front of the passage, this was the real deal. The one that was going to work. Jordan wasn't stupid, and she had realized that this was the real danger as soon as she had heard the details.

Leaving the rebels wasn't nearly as easy as joining them had been. To join, she had just showed up, expressed her discontent with the Ruling powers, and worked some basic charisma magic. Her leaving had required a minor blowout with "the powers that be" in the rebel world, a very crafty and extremely dangerous fiery diversion, and a final run for it in the middle of the night, in the pitch black forest darkness. In the end, the only thing that got her to Sara was the same thing that had saved her life - their Blood Tie.

One of their youngest warriors, 19 year old Laira, had been the one to ask about it. Sara had grimaced at the all too recent memory, but hadn't withheld the information.

"A blood tie," she had explained. "is a binding force between two or more magical creatures. It can be done _by _anyone and _to _anyone, as long as the two in question are both fairly magical. They're uncommon because they're hard to maintain and gruesome to create." Jordan, Sara and Rhea all winced. "It allows one of the Tied to almost see into the other's mind. I can't read Jordan's mind - only a mind reader can do that - but I can get a lot out of it. I can feel what she feels, sense the...essence of her thoughts, and sort of - very rarely - see what she sees in a situation. I have one with Rhea, for obvious reasons, and one with Jordan because...well...why not?"

"The way it works," Jordan continued, "is that the members of the Tie have to share their blood. That's why Sara had to stab herself to heal me. I needed her blood and her personal healing powers to help my body do what it couldn't by itself. It's not about blood as much as it is about magic."

"You can bind Blood Ties," Rhea finished. "by getting a powerful mage or a divine to take the other person's magic from you. It hurts a lot, so it's barely done. Even when the Tied can handle the pain, it doesn't happen often because making a Tie requires an outstanding relationship with whoever you're being Tied to, and a _lot _of trust."

-------

"What do you propose we do?" Sara asked Jordan, her mind snapping back to the present moment.

"Find another passage."

"We _need _that scroll, Jordan."

"I know, Sara, but it's not in there."

"You're kidding."

"Absolutely not."

"If the scroll's not there, then why are they guarding it so closely? It makes no practical sense."

"Think about it. It makes _perfect _sense."

"Why don't you go ahead and explain that."

"_Think. _You automatically assumed that because it's guarded, the scroll is down there. That's what they counted on. They don't want to lure you to the passage that leads to the scroll, because even though they plan to ambush and kill you all, they don't want to risk the chance of letting anyone get past and straight to the scroll."

"_Damn. _That's brilliant!" Warrick said with barely veiled awe.

"If it's not there, then where is it?" Nick asked. "Are they not protecting the _real _passage at all?"

"That's just it. They don't know where it is. They were planning to spread out and look for it after you were out of the way; when the rest of their warriors arrived. The ones that have been following you."

"They won't be arriving." Sara said with poorly disguised dark pride.

"I counted on that. If I had run into any of them while I was looking for you..." Jordan shuddered. "It was a huge gamble."

"You honestly think I'd leave anybody alive to oppose you?" Sara put her arm around Jordan's shoulders and hugged her friend to her side. "Even if you did betray me, Jord, I'm not that petty."

"After what I did, I wouldn't have blamed you one bit even if you had killed me yourself."

"I wouldn't ever."

"I know." Silence hung in the air between them for a moment. Not awkward, just brought into being because nothing needed to be said.

"We're going to have to find the passage first." Rhea said, taking over smoothly. "_Fields of Green _was the last place on the directions before the passage, and we're staring at them." She took in the entire expansive meadow with her hand. "We need to go where _the roots hang above."_

"That won't be easy." Jordan interrupted. "They're _everywhere. _I don't think you fully comprehend how outnumbered we are."

"Great. Real _fucking great!" _Rhea hissed. "What do you know?"

"They're watching _all _the passages. From the woods, from above, from every direction. They'll take us out if they see us."

"Can you do anything? Having been one of them?" Catherine had a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Something like saying we're prisoners?"

"No good." Jordan grimaced. "They know I left. They're bound to know I'm on your side. Besides, I wouldn't be of any help to you. Just like all their other warriors, I'm disposable. They'll kill me just as soon as say hello."

"So you're basically saying that we have no possible angle?"

"Yeah. That's pretty much it. Sorry, you guys." Someone muttered something that sounded like 'you should be.' Sara glared into the depths of the group and snarled a low, throaty sound at them.

"Jord, you have nothing to be sorry for. What could you have done."

"Something. Anything. I'm pretty much useless. I think I'm beginning to see that clearly now. I left you, caused nothing but harm to this group, and now I've come back and given you nothing helpful."

"The tip about the sentries was helpful."

"You could have figured it out yourself, probably. I'm really just a dead weight, aren't I."

"Jordan," Sara sounded like she was talking to an injured child. Her voice was calm, gentle, tender, almost caressing. Coming from her - the same woman who had been so biting and acidic recently - it sounded foreign.

"Sara, please. Don't lie to me. Tell me I'm useless, powerless, no help, a burden. Tell me you only brought me here because you know I wouldn't stand being left behind."

"You don't want me to lie; that would be lying."

"Stop being so damned cliché." She yelled through her tears. "Just tell me what I need to hear."

"I'm refuse to make you feel worse than you already do. That would be insensitive and rude."

"_Please."_

"No, Jordan. You're being childish. Nothing about this is your fault."

"Nothing? Really?" She laughed darkly. "I've heard that you left after I did. Abandoned the entire group because of me."

"And where, pray tell, did you hear that?" Sara raked am angry gaze over the circle of warriors surrounding her. They all guiltily melted back into the shadows, regardless of whether they were accountable or not. In the dark of night, with the shadows cast by the dying flames flickering across their faces, Sara and Jordan both looked feral and dangerous. Jordan especially, with her shining tears falling from eyes full of self-hatred.

"Sar," Jordan continued. "You gave up your calling because of me. You can't expect me to swallow your story about how nothing here is my fault. It's just not...plausible."

"I just didn't want you to know, okay. And that's not why."

"Why, then? Didn't want to hurt my feelings?"

"Leave it alone, Jordan." Sara muttered, staring at the fire, not blinking.

"No. I don't want your pity. Or your protection for that matter."

"I'm not."

"Pitying me or protecting me? Or lying to me, for that matter. 'Cause it sure sounds an awful lot like it."

"None of those things. Just stop, alright?"

"No." Jordan's tone was dangerous. Though it held no real threat, it was daring and sure, yet at the same time insightful, revealing that she knew nearly everything about Sara and wasn't afraid of using it to get the answers she wanted.

"I was protecting me, okay!?" Sara screamed, frustrated, angry at Jordan for making her reveal the deep and well kept secret of her reason for her sudden departure. "First the Torrenta thing, then you. I couldn't handle it all." She took a deep breath and stared into the embers. "That last guy I took the soul from...his memories...his terrible, gruesome, macabre memories...they stuck. You know that. You remember how I was. Fighting them, fighting their desire to pull me under, fighting _my _desire to let them. Of course you remember that. How you were the only one I could trust with my...fragility. Then we fought. Then you left. And the memories were still there, but I found myself without anyone to ease my feelings of vulnerability.

"Then there was...everybody else. The warriors, my team, Rhea. They were all so needy. They couldn't seem to function unless I told them which way was up. And I was falling apart. Secretly. Nobody noticed. They were too wrapped up in their own problems to notice that I was going to pieces alone. All by myself. With nobody but me to ease my pain.

"I couldn't just wait any longer. I found it harder and harder to get through a day...an hour...a minute. I knew I had to do something, but I couldn't get rid of _him._ His stupid, ghastly memories still haunted me in the middle of my own personal turmoil. I was so tired. Tired of fighting him, tired of leading, tired of the dependence of others. Just tired. I literally wanted to crawl into a hole, curl up and die. Then that brought on the darkness...the evil. You know how it is with me. The good suppressing the evil in all the forms I can take. _He _made it harder to fight. Then you. Then the group. It was too much, so I had to leave." Sara's voice broke with sobs, but she continued.

"I really didn't want to, but I was no good to them. I had to go. I turned on myself. Became the evil half I had always tried to suppress. Took souls, drank blood, killed rebels with a smile on my face and enjoyed myself while doing it all."

"But you came back." Jordan whispered, her cheeks as wet as Sara's. "You didn't stay evil; didn't stay away."

"I almost stayed that way. Almost let myself become...that. It was beautiful. So dark and numbing. Evil felt no pain. It was just me and my sick desires, nothing else. No painful stolen memories, no dependence, no betrayal. Nothing. It was hard to give up.

"But then I remembered what it felt like to hurt. What betrayal was. What it felt like to be torn in two. Everything it meant to be...human. Or even animal. What it was to be _alive. _Evil was too good to be true because it took away every part of me that I had left. So I had to come back. If I hadn't - if I had stayed alone - I wouldn't have been able to be _good _again. Would have succumbed to my corrupt desires. The half of myself that shouldn't be. I knew I couldn't do that. The strangest thing was, though, throughout everything...throughout my entire decision to come back to myself, I didn't think _I can't do this to Rhea. _Not_, I can't do this to the team. _Not_, I can't do this to my realms or to my loyal warriors. _Do you know what I thought?"

"What?" Jordan breathed.

"I thought, impossibly, _I can't do this to Jordan. _Even though you had left me - torn me apart, taken my world right out from under me - I was still afraid of hurting _you. _I had to try for you. Had to take away the half of myself that should never have been. It was _your _decision all along. I was just living it."

"That half should have been." Jordan was quiet, her voice intense. "It always has to be, and I don't want you ever to lose it. It can't possibly be a 'half that never should have been' because then you would only be half a person. Half a remarkable person, yes, but still only half. And you can't just be half. You're too extraordinary to be broken like that."

"But I _was _broken, Jord. That's what I've been trying to make you see. That's why I resented you so fiercely - the reason I almost hated you. You took away my stability. Robbed me of my only lifeline. I didn't hate _you, _per say. Rather, I hated the fact that I had opened myself up so much that your absence thrust me into such a vulnerable position."

"But you never hated me?"

"Never came close. I couldn't. I thought I did until I _saw _you. Saw you lying there covered in blood. Felt the pain inside of me _through _the blood of yours that I already shared. The second I knew you were there, I knew I couldn't hate you. I would never be able to, even if you went to all the people who despise me, told them all my secrets, and got me assassinated. I still wouldn't. _That's _what was so frustrating about the entire thing."

"I would never do that." Jordan cried, crushing Sara into a bear hug that, though it was little more than a symbol, solidified their broken connection - their broken friendship - and retied it into something different but, impossibly, stronger and more beautiful than before.

"You could." Sara whispered back. "You and you alone know enough about me to seal my fate. Wherever we are. It's...disconcerting."

"But you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you. How could you ever doubt that?"

"Because I have to tell you something important. Something I've known for a while but haven't had the guts to reveal, and I don't want you to be mad at me when I do."

"After this, I don't think I have it in me to be angry at you."

"Good." Jordan struggled to come up with an appropriate way to put what she needed to say into words, but it was difficult. She wracked her brain for words - for something to shield the blow. Raking her fingers absently through her friend's silky hair, she felt a jolt of something inside her that she knew was Sara herself - in their shared blood - saying _Just get it over with. _Jordan smiled wryly. "Thanks."

"I try. What is it, Jord?"

"It's a secret from your past that's been hidden from you for years."

"A wha - "

"And," Jordan interrupted. "I know how to use it to get the scroll."

* * *

**A/N: And she claims she isn't helpful...heh heh. Assuming you enjoyed the chapter...I'm very happy that you did. If not, why? Either way, I love reviews (badly concealed hint. Badly concealed because...I don't know. My witty half's on vacation, I guess.) Thanks for reading!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Hope you'll all like this chapter (the much anticipated story of Sara's past!)**

* * *

"Rhea," Sara called into the temporary canvas tent where the female warriors were sleeping. "Can I speak with you for a second?"

"It's the middle of the night." Rhea mumbled, her voice clouded by sleep. "Whaddya want?"

"I want you to tell me a story."

"You want a _bedtime story?" _Rhea glared at her with bleary eyes.

"Not exactly." Sara looked down at her nails and, as casually as she could, brought her eyes up to meet Rhea, shooting daggers from them.

"Whoa." She blinked. "What was _that_?"

"I want the story of my past, Rhea. All of it. I know you know."

"How..."

"Jordan."

"_Jordan?" _Rhea looked over at her. "How did _you _know?"

"Got it from you through the Blood Tie you have with Sara."

"It's all about Ties these days, isn't it."

"It's true. Through hers to your memories. You know as well as I do that this can save us, Rhea. If we get their help..." Jordan gave the dark mage a meaningful look. "She has to know."

"I really wish you hadn't said anything." Rhea sighed and wiped a hand over her face. "Alright, Sara." She lead her away from the makeshift camp so they were almost into the woods. "It's better if nobody really knows about this, alright?"

"That's my decision. It is _my _life after all. Even if I _still _don't know about it."

"I knew this would how you'd react." She sighed again. "Alright. First, you have to understand that everything that I'm about to tell you was done only to protect you."

"Rhea.._." _She warned. Rhea sighed.

"Your mother wasn't mortal like you've been told. She was a powerful mage named Seraphina who fell in love with a mortal and was stripped of her power for the offense. Her day was around the time of the Demon King and, believe it or not, she was the right hand of the group who took him out the first time. That's why the first prophecy mentioned you as the one who would defeat the Ruler. It's in your blood to be a revolutionary. After the Demon King was overthrown, she helped place the Ruler you knew on his throne. At the time, he was a normal young man. He showed no signs of evil, no demonic behaviour. Nothing to suggest the monster he'd become. That's another thing about your original prophecy. You had to undo what your mother had done before you. After she had done that, she spent some time in the mortal realm. To _get in touch with herself, _she said. I think she was just bored with these realms - she needed constant excitement in her life to keep her interested. While she was there, she fell in love with a man named Alexander. I met him more than once. He was very, very nice. Tall, dark hair, dark eyes. You look a lot like him, actually. But not more than her. More an...equal divide between them both. You would have loved them had you known them." Rhea had a wistful look in her eye as she studied Sara. She shook her head and continued. "Anywho...Alexander was very handsome and very charming, but he was also _very _mortal. Not an ounce of magic in him. Mortal transformations weren't condoned then like they are now, so she had to see him secretly. She got pregnant in the mortal realms and carried you in both. That's why you're as comfortable there as you are here. She had planned to deliver you in the mortal realms and bring you back so fewer people would notice, but she got caught by surprise on one of her trips here and got stuck."

"Lovely. So I was a mistake _and _the child of an illegitimate father. Just keep making my day, Rhea."

"_You _wanted to know so badly. Anyways, there used to be a group called the Olenato, and they prided themselves in single-handedly keeping the _'mortal taint'_ out of our children. They monitored every birth, and when a child exhibited any mortal characteristics, they would be taken from their parents to be _'rehabilitated' _. Seraphina wouldn't give you up, and she had the latent power to protect you. She managed to for years until they finally caught up. She sent you to me and I had to hide you. Nobody knows if she got out of that fight alive. She was powerful and talented, but she was outnumbered and there were no witnesses."

"I'm sorry, wait. She gave me to _you?_" Sara stared. "How does that even _work_?"

"I was alive then. I was alive even _before _then. All these years. I'm immortal."

"How come I've never sensed it? You're not _that _powerful. Or are you?" Sara shook her head violently. "I don't even know what to _believe _anymore."

"I'm mildly more powerful than you've noticed, but I was exiled, and that puts somewhat of a shadow over any power or abilities...beyond the norm."

"_Shit." _Jordan murmured.

"I had to keep you hidden from everyone for as long as I could." Rhea explained. "Otherwise they would have gotten you, and _rehabilitation _with them isn't as innocent as it may seem. I wanted to keep you in these realms to cultivate your talent, so I put you with a very powerful, very old family. They'd already been around for generations, and they were rich and influential and I knew would protect you at any cost. They were the _royalty _of this place. And they did well by you for almost ten years before the Olenato caught up. They don't like those who evade them. Your power combined with your parents combined with your escape made you the ultimate catch. Before they could get you, Illya, that's an old friend you had. Old _powerful _friend, mind you. Anyways, she sent you to the mortal realms to be with your father, Alexander. But they had already gotten to him, and he was dead. Bringing you back wasn't an option, so we had to let you stay. That's when you got your...first set of parents."

"Rhea? How...old...am I exactly?"

"Um..." Rhea ticked off a couple of her fingers. "about...oh god this sounds terrible."

"_Please, _Rhea. I don't care how it sounds. I just want to know. All this...it's a little hard to deal with if I don't know the facts."

"Promise not to yell?"

"Rhea!"

"You were born around the time when Henry the seventh was reigning, so you do the math."

" You're kidding." Sara's voice fell flat. "Please, please, please, _please _tell me you're kidding!"

"She's not." Violet whispered, materializing from the shadows with Rain beside her. "I can _see _the pictures in her head. And in yours. You remember, Sara. You'd know that she's not lying if she removed the mind block she has on you."

"You lie to me about my life for _five thousand years _and then you fuck with my mind too!? Rhea!? What the _hell_!?" Sara's voice tore through three octaves before settling into a steady shriek.

"Quiet, quiet. We're trying _not _to tell everyone."

"Take it off, Rhea. I want access to my own memories, if it's not too much trouble for _you._"

"Don't be difficult. This is why we tried to hide it from you. It's so confusing, I'm sure you'd agree."

"_Rhea._"

"Sara, you won't remember all of it. I don't want to confuse you."

"Violet seems to disagree, and she can _see into my head." _Sara glared at the dark mage. "I want it off."

"Fine, but you'll only get bits and pieces of the early stuff."

"_Now!" _

"Remember," Rhea said, raising a hand slowly. "You asked for this." Then, in a swift motion, she pulled her hand across her body, leading a trail of magic through Sara's head, in one ear and out the other. Sara shivered as she felt Rhea's magic scour her mind and memories, the sensation almost like a layer of skin was being scrubbed off. She blinked a few times as the black and red magic filtered out of her head, and then, when she closed her eyes, even to blink, she saw bright images that could only be from the past she never knew she had.

_A young Sara sat on the packed dirt floor of an ancient kitchen. Right in front of the fire, she was clearly in everybody's way and not helping in the least, but they bowed their heads as they skirted her small form, treating her with as much respect as they could bestow upon a child of seven. As she watched them slide loaves of bread and pieces of meat into the large stone oven, she produced small magical sparkles from her fingers, giggling as they frightened a cook and a milk maid._

_"What trouble have you been causing, child." A woman with bright blonde hair swept into the kitchen, bringing with her a grace that was sorely out of place in these rooms. "Always underfoot, you are. Nothing but a nuisance. " She chided Sara in such a gentle, loving manner that her words held no sting._

_"I wanted to help, Illya." Sara explained in a clear soprano voice. "They wouldn't permit it."_

_"One of your status does not spend her time in this type of company, dear heart." Illya didn't speak with any venom in her voice, not an spec of condescension marring her tone. She was simply stating well known facts. "You are only making it more difficult for our wonderful staff to complete their given tasks. Why don't you come away with me, and we shall play a game together."_

_"But I never _do _anything." Sara complained as she was lead away. "I want to help."_

_"You are a woman of status now. You shall be required to learn your place if you want to stay a member of this house. You do want to stay, do you not?"_

_"Oh yes," Young Sara whispered fervently. "More than anything in the world."_

Flashes of colours, images and snippets of conversation rushed through her mind as her memory shuffled to something new; something darker.

_Sara had grown. She was now nearing the age of a young woman. Her body had elongated and slimmed, and held the wiry, strong muscles of a trained fighter. Brandishing a clear crystal blade, she heard the voice of an older professor teaching her the arts of defence and explaining that her situation was more dire than the rest of the ladies, and she must be well rounded in the fighting arts in order to defend herself if the opportunity should arise. As she infused the blade with her unique magical signature, she also heard her teacher in the magical arts explain to her why those skills had to be finely tuned. Always ready and waiting._

_All around her, men and women were holding weapons at the ready, some glowing with magical fire, some ordinary. They were all ringed around her, making it clear that she was who they were intent on protecting, though she was more than able to defend herself. A wave of large warriors rained down upon them, some clawing at them as birds and flying beasts, but most attacking from the ground. Their emblem she recognized as that of the Olenato, the group that had been chasing her throughout her entire childhood. She couldn't see the fighting from her position, and now that their opposition had left the higher ground of the ridge that was supposed to be protecting them, she couldn't clearly discern between the heads of her enemies and those of her friends. She heard the almost musical clang of swords against swords, an airy, whooshing sound that had to be the product of an exchange of arrows, and the strange, harsh keening that came from magic confronting magic. The smell of battle surrounded her, wrapped around her like a thick, sickening blanket. It smelt like the coppery, salty scent of blood mixed with the tang of sweat and the unmistakable tainted smell of fear and charred flesh. Only her in-depth training kept her from curling up and covering her ears. Though she was old beyond her years, she was still but a child in the eyes of many, and had been sheltered for many years by the very people who were being slaughtered for her sake. _

_Her enemies, now easily recognized by their evil, disdainful smiles, cut their way through the protective lines of her friends towards her. They advanced at an incomprehensible speed, blood spraying about them in a sick fountain, springing out of the cut necks they handed out liberally as they moved. Suddenly, inexplicably, Illya was in front of her. This woman, who had become one of her closest friends, looked sick with fear._

_"It is no longer safe for you here," She said quickly, the glow emanating from her hands growing bolder and stronger by the second. "I am sorry we have failed you, darling. You must now leave and protect yourself as we have taught you."_

_"What about you?" Sara asked clearly, though her voice was but a whisper. "You will be safe?"_

_"You mustn't concern yourself with my safety any longer. You must simply keep yourself in good health, you understand?"_

_"Yes, but how can I possibly..."_

_"I shall send you to the Mortal Realms. To be with your father. You'd like that, no?"_

_"Intriguing as it may be, I love it here." Sara's wide, innocent eyes were glassy. "It is the only home I've ever known. The Mortal Realms cannot possibly compare."_

_"Maybe they cannot, but they are your only hope now. You have enemies everywhere in these realms. You must conceal your magic from the mortals. Make them think you are one of them, but keep in practice regularly, for you never know when you might need to utilize your skills, and I will not have our efforts wasted by you letting your magical aptitude fall by the wayside to your new life as a mortal girl."_

_"I can fight. I can help."_

_"Your time here is over," Illya glanced over her shoulder as the immovable wall of opposing warriors gained more ground. "Avenge us, my darling, when you return as a powerful sorceress. It shall happen to you one day. You shall remember all of this, all of us, and you must make our deaths worthwhile."_

_"I'll find you, Illya. I promise. I will _never _forget you."_

_"You shall never see me again," Illya whispered as she coated Sara in a sheet of magic. "For this is not a battle I anticipate I shall walk away from. Goodbye, Dearest. Fare well."_

_Then she was gone._

Sara's early years as a mortal were but a blur in her mind. She vaguely remembered hearing of her father's untimely death and searching for a new family to call her own. She saw herself working odd jobs for petty cash on the streets of medieval towns, time nor place having any meaning to her. She winced when she saw herself being hanged for witchcraft multiple times, never dying because she truly _was _a witch, of sorts, and otherwise immortal. Something that hanging could never terminate. More of her flashing memories rested on her deaths than any details of her life. She had contracted the Black Plague at some point and died from it, was burned at the stake once and survived, coming back as a small child. It was at that point that she was adopted by a kindly family who had only recently lost their own daughter.

_Yet again finding herself by the fire, Sara sat embroidering a Midwinter gift for her new adoptive father, her mother by her side, her younger sibling playing on the rug in front of the hearth. This was the picture of a happy family life. This particular clan, the Garths, treated her as if she were one of their own instead of an outsider as she was. Though her memories were fuzzy at this point, she recalled some of the more brutal attempts to kill her because of her practicing her magical skills. Though they were growing along with her, they were becoming more difficult to hide as she learned and practiced more difficult spells and incantations, causing her no end of trouble. But she couldn't bear to give them up. Her promise to Illya meant very little to her now and didn't influence her decision to persevere with her skills in the least. It was more that this small, dangerous talent of hers was the only connection she had left to her true self. She had considered giving it up for a short while, until she had purchased a home of her own and could work in private, but after but a few days, she found she could not continue her life without it. So she chose to walk the dangerous line between the worlds, continually tainting her blissful life with unhappiness. _

Her mind sped through more flashes of memory. The purchase of a small hut that was all her own. The realization that nobody could walk in on her practices. An overly exuberant show of power that got her hut burned down in her first week of ownership, her inside as the flames licked at it and burned it to the ground. Another reincarnation. A number of years where very few notable things happened. An apprenticeship with what looked to be a seamstress. Polaroid picture style flashes of her in different fashions that ran through the popularity food chain throughout her long life. Countless blank years.

_Feeling truly at home for what had to be the first time in years, Sara looked down at the weapon in her hand and smiled a strange, grimace-like smile. She was fighting in the French Revolution (Her conscious mind was overjoyed at the reason for her inexplicable knowledge of the French language) as one of the very few, though bound and determined, female soldiers fighting in the army. The power that flowed through her and into the sword in her arm. She remember how the other soldiers, both male and female, had been guardedly impressed at her masterful wielding of the difficult instrument. It simply felt to her as if it were an extension of her arm, the weight as familiar as anything limb that she naturally had. She was a patriotic Frenchwoman at this time, though her alliances changed with almost every different life she lived. She had been working on her skills in the magical arts secretly for almost a decade now, and she had yet to perform any act even mildly suspicious. Of course, there was her subtle use of offensive tactics as she let her...special skill flow down her arm and into the blade, turning what was multiple hacks for even experienced swordsmen one clean slice for her. Of course, it helped that she had been trained for hundreds of years in the art of the blade, but this extra did give her a dangerous edge. The outcome did not please her altogether, and she soon moved on, though she was overjoyed at the ability to use her magic in a tense situation and remain inconspicuous for the first time. This skill was one she carried on into her next few lives. _

More flashes, more incoherent memories. She had brief images of her fighting contentedly in several more wars, ecstatic at the knowledge that she had an advantage that few others possessed and that, even if she were killed, she wouldn't _really _die. Then there was the visit from Rhea.

_The year looked to be in the middle of the nineteen-seventies. Sara was lounging at a beach, enjoying the feeling of the sun baking her skin and watching her brother play in the waves, her parents only a short distance away. She felt a strange prickling sensation all over her body, settling on her skin almost like static electricity. A woman walked up. Some of the other beach-goers looked strangely at this newcomer. She had appeared out of the woods in a strange black and red outfit that looked like it had gone out of style back when Henry the Eighth was still beheading his wives. Her hair was black and long with bright streaks that looked like blood flowing through each separate strand. _

_"Alright, Sara." She said, using the mortal name that her charge had taken on. "It's time now."_

_"Time for what, Rhea?" Sara remembered this strange woman, though they had only met a handful of times. Rhea had been a close personal friend of her mother's and had, over the years, been keeping a close eye on Sara's progress, something like a legal guardian or fairy godmother. She wasn't happy with Sara's shows of magic and constant deaths, but she had done nothing, believing in a more hands off approach to her self-appointed role. _

_"Time for you to live an entire life. You're young now. Young enough to live a whole, full, rich mortal life, but old enough in immortal years and years of magical practice to handle your skills competently through your unconscious mind." _

_"What does that mean?" _

_"I'm binding your powers and blocking your memories. You will only remember being a mortal girl from your recent birth on. You will be like any other child in these realms. No magic, no otherworld, no prior years of immortal life. You will remember none of it, yet the memories themselves will stay in your mind, locked behind a strong, unbreakable wall along with your magic. If you are chosen again, your powers will be unbound by a Deity, and you will resume your studies from the beginning."_

_"Why? Wouldn't it be better this way, having my years of experience?"_

_"I don't believe so. I can never know what was taken from you when you were made immortal. What life experiences you could never have with the knowledge of your never-ending life and strong magical skills. I'm trying to make you normal. Like any other little girl."_

_"We both know I'm not any other little girl. I'm the daughter of the powerful Kantaran mage Seraphina and the mortal Alexander. I've lived thousands of years hiding my talent, using it to help people, learning from my mistakes. I'll never be _normal._"_

_"None of that will matter if it's something you don't remember. You may never see me again, Sara, but if you do, I promise I'll tell you all this someday. Even if I make you forget who you are, I never will. I will be the keeper of your identity, Sarayelle Alkina, until you are ready to know it all. Goodbye."_

_"Rhea..."_

_"You won't even remember my name." Rhea whispered, placing a hand on Sara's forehead, letting her magic flow through the skin and bone into her memories, building a wall around everything from the start of her life and the lives she had lived since then, and finally, reaching out to her magic and tying it in a knot, binding it and its use from Sara forever. She vanished as Sara was blinking, confused._

_"Who was that woman over here talking to you just now?" Sara's father walked over and looked around him, expecting to see a woman in a medieval costume strutting around the beach. _

_"I...I don't know." Sara said, looking around for the same thing. "I don't think I've ever met her before."_

The memories started to slow down and stutter like the film at the end of a reel. The last thing she saw played out behind her closed lids was Nyx and Ammariah, her two patron Goddesses, unbinding her powers and telling her that she was now a citizen of the magical realm of Kantara.

" - and I said to him, _well that's just fine, but let's see how much _you _like it._" Two people laughed in unison as Sara's senses awakened to catch the last of a conversation between Rain and Rhea. Violet was sitting on the ground beside her sister, her head in Rain's lap and her eyes half-closed. Jordan's knees were drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them and her chin resting on top. Her worried gaze was fixed somewhere beyond Sara's head.

"Somthin' wrong?" Sara slurred, wincing slightly as she straightened up and stretched her stiff muscles. Rhea's eyes searched Sara's face for a moment before resting on her friend's furious gaze. She had the good sense to look away.

"Why do you ask?" Of course, with her question directed at Sara but her eyes looking at the horizon, she looked ridiculous.

"Jordan looks like she's expecting something terrible to happen and as leader of this group, I think I should probably know what's going on."

"You were...unaware...for a long time." Jordan explained, relaxing slightly as she affirmed that there was nothing physically wrong with Sara. "I was getting worried."

"You looked like you expected the first wave of the zombie apocalypse to come stampeding over that hill in a deliciously gory un-dead cavalry."

"I did not." Jordan mumbled. Sara laughed shakily. "How was the show?"

"Hmm?"

"Your memories. Good? Bad?"

"They were...off-putting."

"How so?"

"I only saw flashes of things that had happened. It was weird seeing myself in all those lives. Like someone was putting my face on different bodies. And I died a lot."

"How many times?"

"I don't even want to count. I was hanged, burned and drowned for witchcraft; I got the Plague; Died of old age a couple times, actually, but it wasn't any less uncomfortable. There were other ways."

"No zombies?"

"No," Sara laughed at their private joke. "No zombies."

"Well, there's the silver lining."

"Completely. Burned for witchcraft, but at least there weren't any zombies."

"They eat your brains, you know. That's just not an attractive death for anyone."

"Oh god, can you imagine?" Sara took a large breath throught her laughter.

"As charming as this is..." Violet yawned. "What did you find that could help us _now_."

"I really don't know. I mean, it all happened in the past. The only thing that seemed to be stressed was that I'm good with weapons and in battles. Weren't you watching anyways?"

"No. I do have _some _discretion as mind reading goes. This is the first time you're seeing the story of your own _life. _That's always something that should be private."

"I can't make sense of it, Violet. It's all too new right now. Maybe if you ask in a few days..."

"That's just it," Rhea sighed. "We don't _have _a few days, and we need more warriors."

"If I remember correctly, you knew before I did that my memories held the key to our safety. Why don't _you _fill us in? Be helpful for once."

"I can't, Sara. I can see just enough to know that you have the information, but I can't access enough of your memory to know _what _that information is."

"That's just great. Really, Rhea. Thank you. So much."

"I don't need this now, Sara."

"Neither do I, but as a group, we _all _need this answer. Violet?"

"Hmm?" Violet hauled her eyes open again, not bothering to sit up. In fact, both she _and _Rain looked tired. That, combined with Sara's knowledge that they had been missing for most of the evening lead her to believe that the two were making side-trips to another location, or possibly another group entirely. Her feelings of mistrust came back with a strong vengeance, and she scowled.

"Never mind."

"There was something there..." Violet sounded confused as she sifted through Sara's mind. "Are you...mad at me?"

"Frustrated with everything." If the mind reader noticed Sara's too-quick answer, she said nothing, only nodded.

"Want me to see if _I _can find a clue in your memory? Fresh eyes and everything..."

"Give it a shot." Sara sighed and tried not to shudder as she felt the proverbial probing fingers of Violet's magic search through her newly acquired memories. It angered her to no end that the need seemed to outweigh the fairly sizeable risk in every situation she encountered, each of which somehow always involved either Violet or Rain in some way. Somewhat ironic, considering the two women were the only members of her group she considered to be untrustworthy, even taking into account their prisoner, Akona, who they knew nothing about.

"Got it." Violet grinned. "The fighting memories all came from the same source - the training you got when you lived with that old 'royal' family here in the realms. Seems that your friend Illya was a prophetess. She said you'd be back as a powerful sorceress to avenge them. I think our answer is at that house."

"Is it still here? I mean, it's been _forever. _Thousands of years is a long time."

"Of course it's still here." Rhea sounded appalled that Sara would think anything else. "They are the _oldest _magical family in all the realms. Even if the residents are, for the most part, countless generations older, it's the same family in the same palace. And they'll know all about you. Your story is passed down in their family legends in case you might need something like this. Your name will not be a foreign one. Though, I suppose they know you by your _actual _name..."

"I heard that in my memories." Sara nodded. "You called me something before you bound my magic, which I don't appreciate, by the way."

"Yes, your real name is _not _Sara. Nor is it Alkina, as you were told when you got your powers back. We had to call you by a different magical name when you re-entered the realms. Mostly to hide your true identity. Not that the Olenato could touch you now, but if your enemies, past and present, knew who you _really _were, you'd be in all the more danger."

"You never really stopped looking out for me, did you?"

"And I never will." Rhea vowed fervently. "I promised your mother I would, and she was my best friend. I will keep that promise to my grave and beyond."

"Devotion." Sara murmured. "It's...rather touching."

"I was her Jordan to your Sara." Rhea smiled. "I'm sure you understand."

"I do. What was..._is..._my name?"

"Sarayelle Alkina. Sad to say, I never knew what last name they gave you, and it changed constantly as you were bounced from family to family..."

"That's fine." Sara whispered. "Wow. Sarayelle Alkina. That actually sounds...familiar...in a way. Kind of like it belongs as much as Sara does."

"It's your real name. It _should _feel like that. I wouldn't give up Sara, though. It's who you are now." Rhea murmured. "Who you'll always be. Even though you have your memories back, I don't believe they'll change you so deeply that you will ever _not _want to be Sara."

"You're right." She sighed. "I think we should wait here tonight, then go to the house...palace...at first light."

"Sounds like a plan." Rhea nodded, smiling sympathetically as she caught Sara's slightly frantic, distracted gaze. "I'll pack up what I can tonight."

"Might as well help you," Sara said, her voice fading into the bushes as she, Rhea and Jordan walked away. "I won't be sleeping tonight."

"Did you honestly not know?" Rain asked, still on the ground with Violet half-asleep on her lap. "About her past and the royals?"

"I honestly didn't." Violet replied through a wide yawn. "I don't look into personal stuff like that on principal. But, I admit, it works out all the better for us."

"I know. The solution could have been anywhere, but it was in Caprety. It'll be nice to go back. I miss our home realm."

"We go back almost every night, Rain. You shouldn't miss it."

"I mean it'll be nice to go on...more official business. I like knowing that we have allies at hand. I bet half of Caprety's on our side now."

"It _is _nice. Especially since nobody here trusts us anymore."

"Nobody?" Rain raised an eyebrow in a perfect arch.

"Nobody that matters. Sara doesn't, Jordan certainly doesn't, and Rhea's getting suspicious about all our evening absences."

"But we still have...what's his name...the shape-shifter."

"Greg. Yeah, he's still on our side."

"Is he willing yet?"

"I've taken the enchantment off a couple times, but he's resistant when he's not influenced, so no. But I can handle controlling his mind. It's not exceedingly difficult, and he's mostly following Sara's orders anyways. It's like flying on autopilot."

"Well, get him ready, alright? I want our plan implemented while we're in Caprety, and he'll need to be taking _our _orders for this to work. I've got our old friends lined up as allies, and maybe a hundred or so others who take our position on the issue."

"You really think it's going to work?"

"Please. It's practically a given. Everybody's as sick of the _'Powers That Be'_ as we are, and we were born to do this."

"I'm still kind of...wary. Do you honestly think it's going to work?"

"Of course. I want a couple of enchantments on a few of the members of _this _group before we cross the border just to be on the safe side, but other than that, we're set to go. I'm looking at a couple of those spineless warriors Rhea brought with her, and uh...the mage from Sara's group."

"Gil? You're joking. She's keeping an eye on him."

"A close eye?"

"It could be closer, but yes."

"Whatever, Vi. If anyone can take his will from him right under her nose, it's you. We need him, and not just for the obvious reasons. She's not quite as close with him as she once was, I don't think."

"She kissed him the other day, Rain. That means something."

"It was pure excitement, nothing more."

"You're arguing with me when I can see into both their minds?"

"I've seen the way the prisoner looks at her. Akona? There's something between them. Almost like they're kindred spirits or something. I think he'll take her mind off Gil now that she's confused about her past, and that's when you need to strike. I know you still don't like this plan, but you don't need to worry, Vi. I promise you. As close as you and I are in mind and spirit, we can't fail."

"But what if we do, Rain. I've seen the prisons here. They're grotesque. And that's only if they _don't _kill us."

"We won't get caught. People want change, Violet. Mom knew it, and I know it. You just have to trust me here, because when I say change is coming, I mean it."

* * *

**A/N: Repeating my earlier sentiments, I hope everyone liked the chapter. If any part is confusing, ask and I'll clarify. Please review! Thanks!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thanks to csiaddict2, crowned tiger and Mysil for reviewing the previous chapter and for being consistent.**

**The song that Sara and Akona dance to is The Islander (instrumentals) by Nightwish. I don't own it and have no claim to it whatsoever. **

**This chapter is for my effervescent ****co-author whose birthday was a couple days ago, but still hasn't recieved her present (thanks snail-mail!). So, Ray, to hold you over until then, This chapter belongs to you in every single way, shape or form it may ever take, as does the time it took me to find an adjective worthy of you.  
********HSLV, TwiFlame.**

* * *

From the valley they had just entered, the manor towered in front of them. The imposing structure, with its grey stones, dark roof and sky scraping turrets, was as intimidating as it was extraordinary. The wall surrounding it was only waist high on most of the warriors, but, Rhea explained, was usually lined with sentries. Today, the family's was throwing their annual ball that had been the talk of the realms for centuries. With the majority of the surrounding village and leagues of nobles from around the realms in attendance, this was the biggest gala thrown by a private family the land had ever seen. All but two of the family's private guard were inside enjoying a much anticipated day off.

"You're rather quiet." Rhea teased. "Usually you'd be barking out instructions right about now."

"Taking it all in." Sara said quietly. "This place is just as I remember it. Even though I don't..._remember _it."

"Wonders of the mind block."

"Ah, Rhea," One of the guards at the door smiled at her. "Back again, I see."

"There's nothing worth missing this event for. You know that as well as I do."

"You're not even dressed yet." The other guard chastised. "You look as normal as the rest of us."

"Well, I'll change, of course." She smiled wryly. "We all will. If you let us in."

"Would you really let us turn you away?"

"Never." She winked and kissed him on the cheek in passing. Sara simply nodded to them, but apart from her government position, they didn't know who she was in relation to the family.

"I didn't bring a change of clothes." Catherine said, smoothing the skirt of her dress self consciously.

"You didn't need to." Rhea snapped her fingers casually, and everyone found themselves dressed in completely new outfits, a mix between mortal and medieval style garments.

"_What _is _this_?"

"Skirt from 17th century England, tank top from Wal-Mart."

"I'm sorry...what?"

"Clothing here at the ball tells everyone about your political position on mortal-magical...things." Sara explained, remembering this as clearly as if she had learned it yesterday, not thousands of years earlier. "If you wear mortal clothes, you stray more towards the mortal way of life and vice versa. A mix of both means you're on the fence, and while I'm strongly against making up people's minds for them, while you're with us, you're going to have to at least _act _as if your political persuasion is the same as mine and Rhea's. We can't show up with a retinue who believe different than we do."

"We understand." Grissom said with a curt nod, looking down at his waistcoat with a grimace.

"Oh. My. God!" A scream came from down the corridor, followed by a few sets of running feet. Two girls and a boy skidded to a stop in front of the group. They looked to be barely into their teenage years, if they were there at all.

"She was right!" One of the girls yelled. "You're Sarayelle!"

"I go by Sara now." She said uncomfortably, recognizing the three people neither from her recent life, nor her past memories.

"It _is _you." The boy sounded breathless with excitement, even though he was trying to act nonchalant.

"Yes." She nodded quickly. "How did you..."

"Oh, our mother told us _all _about you." The girl interrupted. "I'm June, this is my brother Cedrig and my sister Skylar."

"We were waiting for you _all night._" Cedrig said, shaking his unruly, carrot red hair out of his face. "We have a Seer in the house, and she Saw you coming here and said you'd be right in time for the ball."

"They didn't want us to wait, but we just _had _to. I mean, nobody's seen you for like...hundreds of years. We _had _to be the first!"

"Thousands." Sara muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Hmm? Nothing."

"Quiet." The third girl, Skylar, opened her eyes to glare at her siblings - it couldn't have been anything but a glare - and even Sara jumped in surprise when they saw that her eyes were a solid blue. No sclera, no pupil, but a complete, endless cerulean.

"Skylar." June hissed. "You're scaring them."

"You were overwhelming them with your incessant babble." She shot back. Skylar looked to be the oldest of the three, having maybe four years of seniority on the other two.

"They're not used to your eyes." Cedrig said.

"Always about the eyes." She sighed. "Can you two leave for this?"

"We _know _the story." June pouted. "There's no reason for us to go."

"It's just easier to tell with a small audience." Though they both grimaced and mumbled under their breath, both June and Cedrig left. Skylar turned to the group, but her eyes were focused on Sara. "Every time I try to explain, they end up trying to tell the story themselves, and it just makes less sense that way. Hope you don't mind."

"No. They're an...exuberant pair." Sara mouth twisted into a half smile.

"Try living with them." She winked. "What exactly do you want to know about..." Running her fingertips gently over her eyelids, the subject she was referring to was clear.

"Everything you're prepared to share." Rhea spoke up before anybody could say anything. Skylar turned towards her.

"Can you see us?" A warrior asked, sounding slightly nervous.

"No," Inexplicably, Skylar laughed. "I use something like radar. My mind - well, I guess it's more my magic, really - sends out energy waves. I get a read on the location, height, weight, rough physical features and magical signature of whatever the waves bounce off of. It's how I move, too. The waves go out once every tenth of a second, and the reads I get paint a picture of my surroundings in my mind, so it's almost as good as seeing, and I don't need anyone's help to move around either, which I'm fairly happy about."

"Were you born this way?" Catherine asked.

"No." She didn't laugh this time. Instead, her mouth formed a grim line. "When I was a kid, I liked to push boundaries as far as they would go. One day, I crossed the line with the wrong creature, and this is the result."

"Vindictive mage?" Sara asked sympathetically. Skylar shook her head.

"Forest nymph."

"Fierce."

"Oh yes, they are." She shook her head once, like she was trying to shake something off. "That's mostly it. You get the general idea, anyways. You guys want to go into the ballroom?"

"Sure." Sara twisted her hands nervously. The manor confused her. She didn't consciously recall her time there, but some things were so familiar. As they were led down the hallways, her eyes lingered on portraits dated thousands of years ago, each portraying the likenesses of people she recognized from her long-forgotten memories.

"Don't freak out." Skylar smiled. Sara jumped, realizing that the girl got reads on more than physical characteristics. "They won't bite."

"Didn't think they would."

"Yeah," She gave a short laugh and ran her fingers through her silky dark hair, so unlike her siblings' colour and texture. "Right." Then she pulled the heavy wood doors of the ballroom wide, entered, and was met with a deafening silence.

After no less than a minute, a few of the guests started tittering nervously. Little by little, everybody started talking again. Some moved in to the middle of the room to dance, but no matter their actions, each person in attendance was stealing glances at Sara, whether their reason was seeing their Ruler, or the infamous Sarayelle.

"Good evening," A man with cropped grey hair walked up to Sara and placed a large, friendly hand on her arm. "I trust you are enjoying the festivities?"

"Very much, thank you." Sara smiled back carefully. "I'm Sara."

"Oh, I know who you are. Though, I knew you as Sarayelle for a number of years."

"Sara, this is Whall. He helped me find you a place in this house, and watched over you from inside it until you went to the mortal realms." Rhea explained, clapping him on the back. "Been a while, Whall."

"Indeed it has." He smiled back at her, crinkling his laugh lines.

"I remember your face." Sara said quietly. "Nothing more. Sorry."

"Don't worry yourself. Rhea explained the situation when she created the mind block.

"Oh. That's...nice."

"You were not always so uncomfortable here." He barked out a loud, hearty chuckle. "Would you care to dance with me?"

_You don't say no to someone of Whall's position. _Rhea projected her firm voice into Sara's mind. _Go. You'll have fun._

"I'd be happy to." Sara only paused a beat before answering. She took his hand and let him lead her onto the dance floor. The music was an energetic folk beat, and the rest of the dancers were whirling round in a traditional movement.

"You will remember the steps once you begin the dance." Whall assured her, seeing the half-tortured expression on her face. She wasn't used to being in any situation where she was less than knowledgeable on the subject confronting her.

"If you say so." She muttered, letting him twirl her around and lead her in a tight sliding square step.

"Oh, you are so deliciously sarcastic these days." He laughed. "It suits you in a way submission and a polite demeanour never did."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"As you should." Whall smiled at her. "You are still a wonderful dancer, by the way."

"Danced with me before?"

"I taught you myself, and am infinitely pleased that you've remembered most of the steps."

"Weird, huh." As he had said, it had only taken a few steps for Sara to remember every dance she had ever learned. She was pleased when she found that in addition to remembering the steps, she was in good enough shape to execute some of the harder steps that the traditional dances were peppered with.

After a few songs with Whall, Sara was passed off to another partner who claimed to have known her, and two others like him before she was deposited back with her own slightly depleted group. Most of those who had been raised in the magical realms were out on the floor enjoying their unexpected night of fun, Rhea included.

Following the mingling, there was a banquet held in the Great Hall. Tables had been set up in a 'T' with barely enough seats for everyone. As it was, they were sitting elbow to elbow with their neighbours, but the wine flowed so freely that few noticed. After countless toasts to the nobles at the table, the hosts, and to Sara herself, everyone was politely shooed back into the ballroom for small cakes, squares and more dancing. An hour or so into the final dances, Sara heard Rhea's voice in her head once more. Throughout the evening, Rhea had been almost coaching Sara in every aspect of noble behaviour that didn't come naturally to her as much of it had.

_This next song is a traditional ballad, _She projected. _Everyone of high status is expected to dance when it is played, and your status in this house as well as the realm as a whole requires it._

_Don't have a partner who knows the dance. Whall's off with his wife, and everyone else is taken. _Sara sent back.

_Find someone. It would be unimaginably rude if you refused to join us._

Sara looked at the eligible partners left, and was wholly disappointed. Many of those choosing to sit out were the members of her team, and the rest looked too drunk to stand, let alone dance.

"Looks like you need a dancer." A smooth, deep voice came from behind her. Sara whirled around and came face to face with Akona.

"Oh. You."

"Don't sound too excited." He rolled his orange-amber eyes at her and held out a hand. "You really have no other option."

"Apparently." She mumbled, stepping towards him.

"Wait," Stopping her at arm's length, he looked her over once. "You have to change."

"I don't have time for this. The song's bound to start soon, and I supposedly _have _to be out there."

"You also have to match your partner." He gestured to his almost regal white-teal medieval top and his black jeans. He didn't have to say why it was that _she _needed to change, because, looking down at herself, she had to admit that of the two of them, he looked better.

"I forgot that rule." She almost growled her words in frustration. Her usually sharp mind was having trouble keeping up with all the things that were locked away in her hidden memories. With a quick coat of her blue-green magic, she was attired similarly to him. His eyes raked over her new outfit, and he nodded his approval. Instead of her earlier jeans and short, 15th century dress, she was now dressed in a white tank underneath a period-style corset in soft teal. It was paired with a knee-length black skirt made of layered fabrics with ragged, diagonal-cut edges. His hand was still hanging in the air, and his mouth was open slightly.

"Take a picture, Akona." She smirked and took his hand, and together they twirled onto the crowded floor.

As much as Sara had initially disliked Akona, even she had to admit that he was light on his feet. His right hand was on her wais, hers on his shoulder, their left palms touching gently and suspended in the air at chest level. They glided over the floor like air, in time with the pulsing drumbeats and the magically-produced sounds of crashing waves. As a guitar-like instrument was added, the coupled on the floor started into the traditional dance. It involved a series of twists, turns, partner trade-offs and steps in a rigid, set order. As the music swelled into what was clearly the chorus, the original partners found each other and came closer, pulled into each other's arms like lovers, completing steps in that position.

That was when everything changed.

Earlier in the dance, Sara had been regarding Akona with a certain friendly amiability - just enough to get them through the dance in a companionable fashion. But the minute the chorus came crashing down on them, putting them in one another's arms, their eyes seemed to lock.

Finding themselves unable to look away, they both studied the other's face, the look in the other's eyes, until a nearly visible stream of passion was flowing between them. To their credit, they kept time with the music. followed the steps flawlessly, though now their every movement was charged with electricity. Where their palms could be touching, they were caressing. His hand cupped her waist, her hand stroked his shoulder. Their gazes were smouldering. And when they came together, they almost fell into each other's arms in relief. The dance was over too soon. She wasn't ready to be out of his arms, as he was unwilling to let her.

So they danced again.

And again.

And long into the night.

At the dawn of another day, the ball broke up. Families re-grouped and left, drunkards were towed away by their designated companions, and Sara's group moved on with the bulk of the crowd. They were lead out by Skylar, and Sara was given a smooth stone that could be used to call her at any given moment. She had explained, in passing, that the loss of her vision and gain of her radar capabilities gave her a special form of concentrated, powerful magic that she would willingly use to help Sara, Rhea and their entire group when the time came.

Sara barely noticed.

After their night long dance, Sara and Akona had been forced to separate once again. They both knew it was unseemly for her, the Ruler and a mage of considerable power and position, to associate on _those _terms with him, a prisoner. Their brief connection had not, however, gone un-noticed.

"You were having a pretty good time last night on the dance floor, weren't you?" Jordan teased Sara as they were on their way out.

"I was acting the part I needed to act."

"Yeah, right. I know you better than that. You like him."

"Keep it to yourself, at least." Sara glanced around them quickly, then lowered her voice. "It's strange, Jordan, how well he seems to know me. It was like this when we first met him that day in the forest. It's like he can see inside my head, but he's not a mind reader. He knows me instinctively, just like you do. I can't help but fall for that."

"I understand the pull," For all the teasing she liked to do, Jordan was now serious. "You just need to watch yourself with him. You do, of course, have an image to uphold. If anybody in this group sees you being to...intimate with him, they won't trust you, and when the time comes to pick sides, they might choose the wrong one."

"I know. I'm not planning on striking up a relationship with him because of the sheer impossibility of it, but still..." she sighed. "last night was strange."

"Strange how? Did you get a weird vibe from him or something?"

"Not at all. It was almost like being in a trance, dancing with him. When our eyes locked that first time, I couldn't look away because it was like nothing else mattered. I simply forgot everything that was going on except for the dancing. Except for _him._ All the frustration at my lost memories was gone, all the nervousness about the battle that has to happen soon, all my misgivings about people's loyalties...everything. All I could think about was me and him and the song we were dancing to. The steps came as naturally as breathing, and I was _happy_."

"You haven't been happy in a long time, have you?" Jordan whispered, already knowing the answer.

"No. Not since this started. Not even before this, I think. I can't really ever remember being happy like this more than a handful of times in my entire life. It was sheer bliss, Jord. That's why we danced so long."

"That good?"

"I can't explain it. It was just so amazing. I forgot everything. Honestly. With him, in that moment, I wasn't the Ruler. I wasn't being chased and hunted. I had no responsibilities. I had no evil to repress. It was like being blind and seeing for the first time. It was _perfect."_

"You need to be careful, Sara." Jordan warned, her voice low and serious. "I know you've fallen for him on some level, but your rational mind is still clear. Just make sure that you don't get any more involved."

"What are you afraid of?" Sara murmured. "Do you really not want me to be happy?"

"I do. You know that. But this whole thing reminds me of something I was taught once. It was about a Faerie charm that can be either cast by a Faerie or bought in amulet form to be cast by someone else. What you experienced may be true and natural, but I'm worried it could be a charm."

"But - "

"I'm also," Jordan interrupted. "Worried about how illogical you're acting about this. You have good instincts, hon, I know you do, but sometimes your heart leads, and in this situation, you can't let it. You have to use your head."

"I know, I know. It's just...that kind of thing...feeling...is hard to get over. Hard to think through."

"I know." Jordan put an arm around Sara's shoulders and pulled her into her side. "Just stick with Gil, okay? He's a lot...safer."

"Maybe you're right." Sara sighed and looked through the group. "Speaking of Gris, where is he?"

"Oh god, don't tell me we left him behind."

"No. He was literally right beside me when we left. He wouldn't have just wandered off..." she looked harder, even casting out some of her magic to sift through the magical signatures of her group members. "We're actually missing a couple warriors too. And Greg...oh. Fuck!"

"What?"

"Violet and Rain are missing." Sara growled. "And they've recruited our warriors to help assassinate me."

"You're joking." Jordan's tone was flat. "I thought the mistrust came from their Capretian backgrounds."

"No! I wouldn't judge them like that. I couldn't tell you because...well, I don't really have any proof, and if word got out that the Ruler judged based on nothing..."

"If this isn't proof, Sar, I don't know what is." Jordan spun around, scanning the trees for the two Capretian mages and their stolen recruits.

"Rhea?" Sara called to the front of the group. Rhea stopped in her tracks when she heads Sara's tense, shaky voice.

"What?" In an instant, she joined Sara and Jordan at the back of the group.

"Know how I'm in danger?"

"Yes. That's nothing new. Why is it such a big deal now?"

"Well, that danger just got a _lot _closer to home." As Rhea drew closer to her, in guard position, Sara launched into the entire tale, straight from the beginning.

* * *

**A/N: And the plot doth thicken... Please review and tell me what you thought (and what you think should happen next, if you don't mind, because we're at a complete loss.) Thanks!**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who is continuing to review. I love hearing from you.**

**Just as a reminder, Shade (full name: Nightshade) and Hazel (full name: Witch-Hazel) came in to the story a couple of chapters ago, brought by Tyrain (Sara's old friend who leads those on the "other side" of the law) and claimed to be on Sara's side after the rebels terrorized their village and wiped it clean. Hazel is a shape-shifter, and Shade is an elementalist (a mage who can control the elements).**

* * *

"This is bad." Sara let her head drop into her hands as she paced. "This is really_ unbelievably_ bad."

"I know, I know." Rhea said, following Sara with her eyes. "But they can't have gone far. We'll catch them."

"How, Rhea? On foot?" She laughed humourlessly. "That's a pipe dream."

"If we go back to the manour, we can borrow a few of their horses and go after them that way. If they're on foot, we should be able to follow them by their magical signatures."

"If they're not on foot?" Jordan spoke aloud what they were all thinking.

"Then I'll have to track them through the air, and it will take a lot longer. Either way, we _have _to find them. With Greg and Grissom on their side, along with the warriors and what they've heard, they know almost _everything."_

"Can you take us back to the manour?" Rhea asked.

"You want me to transport us there?" Sara sighed. "It takes a _lot _out of me, Rhea. Are you willing to risk that?"

"Crap." She chewed her bottom lip nervously. "You make a good point. Still, with the crowds on the roads, and the obstacles in the woods..."

"I can help." Shade - Nightshade - said quietly. Sara whirled to face her quickly. In their silence, she had almost forgotten the two women they had picked up during their trek over the mountains. Witch-hazel and Nightshade, the shape-shifter and the elementalist.

"How?"

"I can manipulate the winds." She explained, her voice still soft and shy. "They can carry us back on top of them, like flying."

"An interesting skill indeed." Sara murmured, regarding Shade with a renewed interest. "Still, this is Violet and Rain's home realm. There's no telling how many former friends they've recruited to their cause. If it comes to a fight, we may very well be going in blind. I'd want you at your peak, not exhausted from exerting yourself."

"We won't be going anywhere if we can't get back to the manour, and your condition is much more important than my own."

"Don't worry about her," Hazel interrupted, grinning at her friend with a proud gleam in her eye. "I've seen Shade do things..._amazing _things...with her power and still have enough energy left to take on an entire village."

"Hazel's prone to exageration."

"In some cases, yes. But this...she's skilled. You don't have to worry about her tiring after flying us that short distance."

"You're sure? I haven't seen to judge for myself, so I'll need to take your word for it." Sara said carefully.

_Is that wise? _Rhea asked, her thoughts placed directly into Sara's mind. _For all we know, she could lift us up a couple hundred feet and drop us. We don't know these girls at all. _

_That isn't a worry of ours. _Sara projected back. _I know how this will sound, but there's just something about these two that I can't help but trust._

_It could be a ruse._

_I know, but even if her intention is simply to drop us from the sky, I'm sure I can cushion our fall somewhat with my power._

_Then you'll leave yourself open to an unshielded fall. You can't protect us and yourself at the same time._

_Even so, _Sara gave a mental shrug. _I'm immortal. I can't be killed that way. My bones are quite a bit more solid than that. I could just fry them where they stand if they try anything stupid._

_You're sure?_

_I'm sure._

"Alright," Rhea said aloud. "Do it."

"You'll all need to get a little closer." Shade made a small motion with her hand, and they found themselves all herded into a tight group by strong puffs of wind. "And hold hands." she instructed. "It's easy to get excited and swept away your first time up if you're not grounded to somebody else."

"How strong are these winds going to be?" Sara asked, grabbing the hands of Jordan and Rhea, the two people closest to her. "I don't want anybody outside our group getting caught up or injured."

"They'll be strong, but fairly high up." Shade explained. "We were taught to do this in the least detectable way possible. We'll be cloaked by a cloud as well, so you needn't worry about anybody noticing our...sizeable group floating above them."

"Excellent plan." Rhea, for all her misgivings, sounded slightly awed.

"Just good teaching on my mentor's part." She shrugged. "Ready everyone?" In essence, it didn't matter if they were ready or not, because already they found themselves inches off the ground with strong, rushing air beneath them. A few of the warriors squirmed at the un-natural feeling, and Sara caught even herself kicking her legs in the air that was now beneath her. Jordan, with her mild fear of heights, looked slightly pale, and Sara's other hand was losing circulation in Rhea's tight vise grip. Hazel, used to the feeling after years with Shade, was doing figure eights and acrobatics in the air, enjoying herself immensely.

Shade herself looked like she hadn't a care in the world, floating above the ground with her eyes half closed and her hands forming shapes and waves at her side. Each motion she made shaped the gusts around them, creating the feeling of being caught in a strong undertow. Though there was little visibility through the clouds, the winds were guiding them. When the unreal feeling of floating left them, every member of the group found the experience to be more than enjoyable. It was a strange sensation, but empowering nonetheless. The feeling of being suspended above everybody, everything and all their worries, was one of pure freedom. All too soon, the towers of the manour sliced through the clouds, and they had to descend. Shade let them off at the back of the building behind the staff's quarters, assuring that they would be seen by few.

Minutes later, they were all roaming the halls, having entered through a back door provided by Sara's memorial recollection of the house's layout.

"When I said I'd give you my help, I didn't think you'd be calling me on it so soon." Skylar was leaning against a doorframe casually, almost as if she had been expecting them.

"Were you...waiting for us?" Warrick asked, watching her carefully as she pushed off the frame and walked towards them.

"Not really." She smiled mysteriously. "What do you need?"

"Horses." Sara said with an apolegetic grimace. "For all of us."

"_All _of you!?" Skylar's solid blue eyes flew over the group, seeming to see even though they knew she was blind. Even with the missing warriors, they were an extensive crowd. "I can't manage that. If our guards need mounts, we'll be depleted enough that I'm putting my family's security at risk. I'm not willing to go that far." She closed her eyes for a moment and massage her temples with long nails. "Would you ever consider using immortals?"

"I hadn't originally, but if you could..."

"I can. We wouldn't use them for defensive purposes, but you can handle it."

"You think?"

"I know. I've seen you do it - through stories passed down through the generations, of course - and you can teach them as you go."

"My memory of past events is...less than perfect these days." Sara admitted with an ashamed look on her face. "I dont want to risk our safety on something so flawed."

"Taming an immortal is something that can't be repressed or erased, even by the strongest of mind blocks." Skylar laughed incredulously. "I thought you'd at least know _that_." She lead them out another door, this one leading to an immense stone outbuilding that smelt strongly or hay and manure.

"We have four in equine form." Skylar explained, hauling open the heavy door. "You'll be able to manage two per creature, but no more. I'll keep the rest of your group here at the house."

"Nick, Warrick, Catherine, Jordan, Rhea..." Sara studied the rest of the group before sighing resignedly. "Shade and Hazel. Don't betray my trust on this."

"Never." The two women said in one breath, almost identical enthusiastic smiles lighting up their faces.

_You're sure? _Rhea asked, once again projecting her thoughts. _Denia is the best of my warriors, and Mario is her equal._

_Stop badgering me. _Sara snapped back. _I know what I'm doing._

"Come, all of you." Skylar lead the warriors away with a new bounce in her step. "With everyone helping, clean-up shouldn't take nearly as long. And by the way," she winked at Sara over her shoulder. "You should recognize the black one."

"Strange girl." Catherine muttered as soon as Skylar had disappeared into the manour with the rest of their warriors.

"She certainly has the right attitude." Rhea said, eyeing the four horse-shaped creatures in front of them. "I'll give her that."

"What exactly _are _these things if they aren't horses." Hazel asked, looking at them warily.

"Immortals, Hazel." Shade whispered. "I taught you that myself."

"Aren't _you _immortal, Sara?" Nick looked to their leader.

"Being immortal is different from being _an _immortal." She explained. "Being immortal means you're granted your immortality. Being _an _immortal means you're born that way. Animals and people alike can be born immortal. We'll ride them like we would a normal horse, but we have to take care getting them to accept us beforehand, because they have fierce tempers and power that could kill even me."

"And how would we go about that?"

"I'll show you in a sec..." Sara studied the depths of the building. "She said four, and there are only three here."

"I think the aforementioned 'black one' is missing." Rhea said with a conspiratorial grin. "And he's right behind you."

As she whirled around, Sara's jaw dropped and her eyes widened considerably.

"Nyarna?" She whispered, awestruck. "It can't be." The animal whickered in response.

It was as if the strongly built immortal horse had stepped straight from Sara's childhood memories. He had a glossy coat in solid black, without even a marking on his face to break up the dark, sikly hair. As he shook his head, his mane and forelock swished through the air in what seemed like slow motion, and the musces underneath the black hair rippled. He snorted once more and looked at Sara with inquisitive dark eyes, so brown they were almost black. Though they were in an animal, the eyes themselves looked every bit as human as Sara's.

"Sara, we don't have all day." Rhea said crossly. "It's your life we're saving here, so teach us how to tame these guys and let's _go._"

"First," Sara didn't take her eyes off the horse, and her voice was enveloped in serenity. "walk slowly towards them until you're an inch away, in groups of two. Jord, stay where you are. Nyarna won't hurt you even if you _don't _take part. Everyone else, when you're an inch away, stop. Let them come to you." She waited until she heard and felt the shifting of hooves in the hay. "Now, hold out your hand and let them sniff it. If they don't pull away, place your hand on their neck and stroke it softly." She placed her own palm on Nyarna's immense black neck and smiled peacefully as she felt the feeling of silk-soft horsehair beneath her fingertips. The animal whickered softly and pressed his head into Sara's chest. She cradled it gently and rested her forehead between her horse's ears with her eyes closed. "You'll know when they accept you," she whispered. "Then you can get on."

On her own cue, Sara hoisted herself up onto Nyarna's tall back and settled into a natural position. She beckoned Jordan over to mount behind her, and together they waited for everybody else. After a fair amount of jumping and climbing - the immortal horses were all very tall, though Nyarna towered over all of them regardless - Sara's depleted group set of at a brisk pace, breaking into a fast canter once they had cleared the manour walls. Each inexperienced group emember paired with a fairly experienced one - Catherine with Warrick, whose warrior powers made him a natural; Nick with Rhea and Shade with Hazel, who both looked at home on the immortal's back. Tearing through the forest, the immortal horses cleared roots and branches with inches to spare, never breaking stride.

"I can't sense their magical signatures at all." Rhea called to Sara. "Not on the ground, or in the air. It's like they vanished."

"Neither can I." Sara replied. "But we'll find them."

"_How!?_"

"Nyarna," With a grin, Sara leaned forward to Nyarna's ear and whispered, "_Find them._" With his instructions, the immortal jumped forwards and shot through the trees at a speed that could only be reached by a creature who wasn't human. Sara surged forwards with her body, perfectly in tune with the animal beneath her, needing no hand-hold for balance. Jordan grabbed Sara around the waist and swore fluently.

"Don't _do _that."

"Sorry." Sara let out a gleeful laugh that sounded like the pealing of a dozen small bells.

"You're so full of it."

"I know." With another shimmering laugh, she urged Nyarna faster until the trees were no more than blurs in even _her _vision. She closed her eyes, trusting the animal beneath her, and listened to the cascading sound of hoofbeats behind her as they flew through the dusk with the wind on their faces.

------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------

It wasn't long until the immortals slowed their breakneck speed to a more manageable canter, and then a trot that, curiously, made no sound whatsoever on the ground beneath them.

"We're close." Sara whispered to everyone, now gathered around her on their own mounts. "Keep quiet and follow my lead. I'll confront them alone, but if worse comes to worse, you'll all need to step in on your own."

"We're ready." Rhea whispered. "But where are they?"

"Close. I can sense them up ahead. Whatever binding spell they put on their signatures can't keep me out at close range." Nyarna wove through a tight group of trees, and Sara saw a flash of white up ahead. "Yup. There they are."

"How many?"

"Lots." Sara gasped. "At least twenty. Maybe more. No...fifty! They're all lurking around in the trees."

"Coming towards us?"

"No..." At this, she sounded puzzled. "They're heading...away? Towards the realm centre. The capital."

"Why would they do that? You have ambassadors in the capital who wouldn't dream of hurting you."

"Unless they've turned my own people against me too."

"This is _messed up_!" Jordan said, scanning the trees and seeing the same mass of people that Sara did. "How did they _do _this?"

"No clue. I didn't think I was hated this openly. Guess I'm no good at this." She sighed. "Jord, you'll have to wait here with everyone else. Triple with Rhea and Nick."

"You're sure? I'm great backup."

"I know." Sara's mouth twisted into a half-smile, looking almost sad. "This is something I need to do alone."

"Will Rhea's horse mind? I mean, Skylar said they'd only take two."

"Nyarna?" At Sara's whisper, the immortal whickered to Rhea's mount, and then at Sara. "He's set it up. You'll be fine."

"Good luck." Rhea said as Jordan slid onto her mount behind Nick. "We've got you covered."

"I know." With a quick flick of her hand, Sara shone a dark light from her fingers, covering her from head to toe and morphing her appearance until she was dressed all in dark colours and her features looked dangerous and sharp. "See you if I need you." Then she was gone.

------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------

"I can't believe I ever doubted you." Violet said to Rain, her voice laced with elation. "The turnout we got is _amazing._"

"We can't fail now." Rain's grin was more of a malicious smirk. "Nobody can stand against this many."

"And we have a great foundation with the warriors we...enchanted away from the group."

"To Sara's credit, she _does _teach them well."

"I do, don't I." Sara came out of the trees, silently detaching from the shadows. She had opted for the dramatic entrance, and it worked. On Nyarna, she towered above the two sisters and their band of assassins. That, coupled with her modified sharp features, dark stealth wear and Nyarna's black coat, she looked like one of the dark warriors of old, striking at night and leaving no trace of themselves whatsoever. A few of the warriors mistook her for just that and stepped back in surprise. The dark maidens in particular had been feared by all, lulling innocents into false senses of security with their feminine innocence, and striking when their victims were at their most enchanted and vulnerable.

"How did you find us?" Rain's voice was filled with malice. She didn't want Sara there.

"Did you seriously think I'd let you deplete my group to such a degree and get away with it? I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

"Yes, but you can't be here right now." Violet explained frantically, peering off into the capital. "You have to leave."

"Not without my warriors - take the enchantment _off _please, and give them back their free will."

"We need them right now. You can have them back when we're done."

"Again, Violet, you and your malevolent, unpropitious sister assume that I've nothing more in my head than air and battle plans for my own personal gains. I'm not stupid."

"I'm not following you," Violet shot another look at the town. "And we can talk all about it if you just come over here..."

"You expect me to allow you to lure me into the shadows so you and your band of ne'erdowells can kill me away from any possible witnesses? You'll have to rethink that."

"_Kill you!?_" Violet's jaw all but dropped. Even Rain, who had never been welcoming by any definition, looked stunned. "You thought we were going to - " An explosion in the centre of the city erupted, cutting her off. As a fireball climbed in the sky and people started screaming, Rain swore loudly.

"Wait here." She ordered, pointing at the spot where Sara was standing. "You can't get wrapped up in this. We'll explain later." Grabbing Violet by the hand, they, along with their small army, poured out of the forest and into the city. Sara simply stood where she was told, staring blankly into the city.

It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours. Sara only remembered standing on the outskirts of the forest, watching in horror as the capital was thrust into chaos. Every building seemed to glow red and orange in the flames that were licking at the sky. They were well contained, only eating up the superstructure that was home to the Capital Government. People poured from the building, joining the rest of the villagers on the opposite side of the river on the far side of the city, a force even the massive fire couldn't contend with. As dusk faded into deep night, and night faded into dawn, the flames subsided until they, along with the Capital Government Building, were but a memory. Violet, Rain and a smaller group of their accomplices came out of the wreckage soon after, each of them covered in soot and ashes, their faces and clothing blackened. Despite that, they all looked happy, with the exception of Grissom, Greg and a few of Sara's warriors, who apparently had just been un-enchanted.

"That was _terrorism._" Sara said incredulously. "How could you think I would even _condone _that within my kingdom?"

"You certainly didn't stop it." Rain rolled her eyes, too pleased with herself to care. She even had the nerve to sound smug about her act of violent social disturbance.

"You're on my last nerve, Rain." Sara turned her cold gaze over to Violet. "You too."

"Relax. I promise you, it was completely necessary. If it hadn't gone down like it did, the outcome would have been severely different. We promist that nobody got hurt but those who were intended to."

"Explain." Sara growled, her voice edgy and dangerous. Her eyes snapped angrily in the light of the rising sun and her still-sharp features cast malicious shadows on her face. "Now." Rain, the mastermind, settled down comfortably on the ground with her head cradled in her palm.

"I'd be more than happy to," she said pleasantly. "What is it you want to know?"

* * *

**A/N: Please review and let me know**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: So, this chapter comes with its very own question. There's a third installment to the OTE series (a threequel, if you will). It's going to be great, we hope (what we've got so far isn't terrible), so the question is: will anybody read a third, or are we just pushing it? Second question: What characters would you like to see come back?**

**Sorry this took so long to post, but it was set aside in lue of the aforementioned threequel. **"Ever since Violet and I were children," Rain explained. "our mother explained to us daily how unfair our ruling powers were. She was a revolutionary, and had been one since _she _was a girl. She didn't like the old Ruler, who you killed, and she had been plotting to overthrow him with her group. She, unfortunately, didn't have the type of power she needed to take his position, but she griped about it constantly and taught us right from the cradle to fight for fair government."

* * *

"We never had a problem with you, but your ambassador was such a..." Violet struggled for a word to describe him, but her dark, murderous look was enough. "He mistreated everyone in Caprety. The only people he paid any mind to were those who followed him without question. We've been planning his downfall since we were old enough to carry it out."

"And you couldn't tell me...why?" Sara asked, lacing her fingers in front of her and stretching them.

"We knew that, as the Ruler, you couldn't be involved in overthrowing your own ambassador and still expect people to follow you."

"And you're a great Ruler." Rain added. "We didn't want you to have to step down because of something we did."

"Then why didn't you tell me about the problem and just let me fire him?" Sara said.

"Pride." Violet looked ashamed. "Our mother didn't have the power to make the changes she wanted, but combined, Rain and I did. It was more of a family matter than anything. And we managed to do it, too."

"Mind answering a question?" Rain asked.

"Maybe." Sara yawned. "Make it quick. I've been awake too long."

"Why did you assume we were trying to kill you?"

"The way you two talked about your little mission?" Sara's eyes widened in surprise. "How couldn't I? You were talking about overthrowing Ruling powers, and going about it secretly, and you both sounded so _angry. _Besides, you haven't exactly been...amiable since we were reunited."

"Don't take that personally. I've always been hot-headed."

"Still, some of the things you've said and done have been questionable at best."

"So you'll never trust us again?"

"Part of me will always question your alliance." Sara said after a long pause. "Your actions have lead to that."

"Guess we asked for that one." Rain let her head drop into her hands and massaged her temples with two fingers. "Is there really nothing I can say?"

"This isn't a minor indiscretion, Rain. On your part _or _your sister's."

"He was corrupt. He deserved all that he got."

"You still killed a government official. If this was any other time, and if I wasn't so relieved that it wasn't me you were after, I would have to imprison you."

"You won't though, right? Even after we get this little rebellion sorted out and get the scroll back? You won't? Even then?" Violet looked scared. After Rhea's stories about her living conditions, Sara could understand why Violet wouldn't want to spend the rest of her life underground.

"If you don't do anything else like this for the rest of our time together, I'll consider giving you your freedom."

"Wonderful." Rain muttered.

"Was it really worth it? All the mistrust you'll face - and not just from me...was the payoff really..."

"Yes." She breathed, her eyes glittering wildly, almost as if they were lit from within. "I'd do it again if I had to."

"Rain," Sara groaned and combed a hand through her hair.

"Hypothetically speaking, or course." She amended with a grimace.

"You'll let us come back and fight the final battle with you guys, though?"

"Kicking you out now would be suicide on my part."

"Smart girl." Rain grinned at Sara. "So...back to the woods now?"

"Of course," Sara smirked at her. "it's always back to the woods."

-------

Rhea met Sara, Rain and Violet with a new bounce in her step and a sparkle in her eye.

"Good news," she said in a sing-song voice. "You'll never guess who we just saw."

"The ruler reincarnated?" Sara snorted an approximation of a laugh. "I don't know, Rhea. I'm tired."

"Wrong! We saw five of the rebels headed to the east."

"How is that different from seeing five rebels headed to the west?"

"The fake scroll tunnel was to the west."

"Spit it out, Rhea. I don't have all day, and neither do you." Sara growled.

"Somebody's testy." She rolled her eyes. "If the fake tunnel was to the west, they'd want to intercept us _before _we got to where they thought the _real _one was. That, coupled with the fact that we saw their warriors skulking around the forest headed _east _means that they probably think the tunnel is to the east. When they realized that they completely missed the opportunity to ambush us, they've probably called all their warriors to the east to look for the tunnel before we get there and start looking for ourselves. You have to admit, it all lines up perfectly."

"And how do we know that they're not just planning another trap and the real tunnel is to the north or the south? Or even back the way we came?"

"Because," Jordan cut in. "their group is a _mess. _The man who's leading them is a moron. I was there for a month and a half, and they were already falling apart under him. I can only imagine how bad it is by now. I don't think they have the organizational abilities, the will _or _the manpower to launch another attempt at ambushing us. It's either going to be a stealth mission, which I highly doubt they have the ability to instigate, or a full frontal attack, which I'm sure we can win."

"So basically we're in no danger?" Rhea asked, her eyebrow raised in disbelief. "I doubt that."

"No, don't misunderstand me. We're still in danger because a) they're bigger than we are in size, and b) they also have some pretty powerful members who could give even _Sara _a run for her money." At Sara's cold glare, she amended, "on a very good day."

"They have a head start," Rhea added. "and more people to look for the tunnel."

"And they have no regard for their warriors' safety, so they're reckless." Sara sighed. "How long ago did they pass here?"

"Ten minutes, maybe? Give or take a couple."

"If those five aren't the first who have been sent that way, who knows how many they could have by now." Violet put in.

"At this rate, we'll have to go all night just to catch up." Sara groaned.

"Someone's grumpy." Jordan laughed.

"You would be too if you spent the past couple days thinking you were going to be assassinated by your own group members."

"I apologized for that." Rain said defensively. "You shouldn't have been eavesdropping."

"How about this," Jordan held a hand between the two women, not oblivious to the fact that their resentment and hostility towards one another still existed. She pointed to a rocky outcrop above them. "We stay here tonight on the ridge just up there, out of the rebels' way but still in full sight of them, post a couple guards to switch every couple hours, get some rest, and make our way east then."

"Yes, Jordan, let's just _allow _them to find the scroll first and give them our blessing while we're at it." Rhea rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if you didn't just come back to lead us straight into their trap."

"Take it back." Sara growled, instantly less than an inch from Rhea's face with her entire body aglow with her blue-green magic. "You're either nice to her, or you're out of here. I don't care _who _you are to these realms."

"Cool it, Sara. I was _kidding._" Rhea took a step back regardless, disconcerted by how little time it took Sara's temper to heat up.

"Oh. Good." Sara, too, stepped back, looking appropriately ashamed.

"My reasoning is the same as yours has been this entire time." Jordan said defensively. "If we move all night and catch up in the morning, they might catch us, and if they did, they'd surely fight us. That's a fight we would _lose _because everyone's already dead on their feet, and a night long trek through the forest won't help that at all. If I were leading, I'd be more concerned with having fresh, willing warriors than ones who are fighting on the back of another sleepless night."

When both Rhea and Sara nodded their approval, the group started making their way through the forests, their eyes glued to the trees, looking for any stray rebels. The winding trail up to the ridge was densely covered, shielding them from any prying eyes.

After so many nights setting up temporary camps, the depleted group pitched the tents quickly - still comprised of only the CSI team, Rhea, Violet and Rain, Shade and Hazel, Jordan and Sara, with the remaining warriors still at the manor with Skylar, having been unable to fit on the immortals. Regardless of their small number of hands, everyone pitched in and a small, homey camp was ready in no time, comprised of six tents ringed around an unusually large fire, due in a large part to Shade's influence over it, her Elemental powers unintentionally shaping it as she lounged nearby.

"So Sara," Hazel rotated a carrot on a stick over the fire. "How did you come by an immortal who loves you so much?"

"Pardon?"

"Nyarna." Even as they spoke, the large creature was standing behind Sara, lazily nuzzling her hair as she fed him pieces of her dinner. "I've met plenty immortals in my shape-shifting days, and I've never met any as attached to another being as he is to you, and that's even _after _you hadn't seen him for years."

"When I was a kid, Nyarna and I spent a lot of time together. I had to work in the manor. Everyone did while they were young, no matter who they were status-wise. Work ethic and all that. I was assigned barn work because after my parents were killed I wasn't so good with people. When we first got the immortals, I was there, in the barn. The trainer had only recently taken me as sort of an...early apprentice. I wasn't supposed to do anything important, but we were incredibly short-staffed, so I did more than I probably should have. Nyarna and I were good together, so the trainer turned him over to me. I trained him myself, and the bond never faded. I guess he's remembered me over all these years."

"Strange. Immortals are usually so temperamental."

"Believe me, he was. I was a bitter child, though, and I could contend with him."

"That's interesting. The lore always said they had bottomless memories, but I never believed it."

"Well, believe it. This big guy is living, breathing proof." Sara reached up and stroked the immortal's nose, yawning as she did it.

"I think you're done for tonight." Jordan pulled Sara to her feet and pushed her towards a tent. "We're back to the trip tomorrow."

"Oh yeah," Sara made a face. "Thanks so much for the reminder."

"Even _you_ need to sleep sometimes. I have a feeling you'd be a walking dead person half the time if I weren't around."

"Right you are." She winked, but then her expression darkened. "Of course, if this doesn't go the way we want it to, I could be a...non walking dead person. Forever."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading, please R&R.**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Thanks to our loyal reviewers! And to a couple new ones who showed up last chapter. All are appreciated. This chapter, therefore, is for you guys. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Explain something to me, will you?" Rhea asked Jordan, swaying to the movements of the immortal surging beneath her. "When we get to the field, find the correct passage - assuming, of course, that we don't get attacked while doing that - how are we going to beat the forces that are sure to oppose our seeking of the scroll."

"The same way we've been doing it all along. At least that's what I presumed."

"Didn't you say that they're a larger group than we are, with more members in each skill set, of which they are varied, and that they're all good at what they do? I know we're good, but I those are odds that are going to be...difficult to contend with."

"Of course it won't be easy, but a win is attainable..." Jordan's eyes widened as she looked over at Rhea. "Isn't it? I mean, we have Sara, your black magic, and Hazel and Shade's powers, which we haven't even explored yet. We don't know the bounds they have."

"And we can't entrust our safety or victory on something that hasn't been tested."

"Then why don't we test them?"

"Test them?" Rhea sputtered, unsure of her next words. The suggestion was so simple, and Jordan's delivery was so innocent that she couldn't form the words to reject the idea.

"Yes. Then we'll know."

"We've already lost so much time...we couldn't possibly..."

"Why not? What's another day prolonging the battle?"

"We don't..." Rhea's words faded into silence as she realized that she had nothing with which to oppose Jordan's argument.

"She actually has a point." Sara said. "As much as I appreciate getting a lead on the competition, I can also see the intelligence in staying here another day. We're out of harm's way, and there's really no harm in prolonging our lives another day."

"You make that sound as if we're marching to our death." Rain joked. "Could you be any more morose?"

"Uh...Rai? She's not actually...kidding...at all." Violet said.

"You're just screwing with me, right?"

"No. Neither of us are. Sorry, hon."

"Ah..._fuck._" Rain yelled.

"Calm down."

"Are you joking!? We risk our lives, our reputations and our trustworthiness to overthrow Caprety's leader and take the job for ourselves, just in time to get _killed!? _You try calming down after that!"

"Raiiiiiiiiiiii," Violet groaned. "I _am _calm."

"I want out." Rain kneed her mount angrily in Sara's direction. "I don't want to fight. I don't want to die."

"That's your choice." Sara looked pained, aware that in saying it, she was losing a competent warrior who owed her on a large scale.

"She's not leaving." Violet stared deep into her sister's bright aqua eyes, sending a message through her deep purple ones.

"Yes, Violet, I am. I waited too long to free Caprety. I'm not dying right after I've done it. You come with me. We'll rule Caprety together and _live." _

"No. I'm staying." Violet's steel will turned her voice to ice. "I followed you into the Caprety plan. I did exactly what you wanted, even though it was against my better judgement, and I helped you right up until the end. This time I'm doing what _I _want. Sara's the best, fairest, most just Ruler I've ever been ruled by, and I'm not backing out on her now, especially since I owe her the ability to trust me. And you're not leaving."

"Yes I am. I'm not dying for this. For _anyone, _no matter how great they are. Sorry Sara."

"It's alright." Sara sighed. "We'll make do without you, I guess."

"No, you won't." Violet glared at Rain. "She's staying."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes," Violet's gaze bore down on Rain heavily. "You are." As she said it, she locked their gazes, and fiery streams of purple magic shot from Violet's indigo eyes into Rain's piercing, icy aqua ones. Rain's body convulsed briefly, and Violet had to wrap her arms around her sister to keep her from falling as she shook. Soon Rain went limp, unconscious in her sister's grasp. Violet didn't looked pleased with the result, but her still-steely gaze was filled with the resolve that accompanied the completion of a job that had to be done.

"Did you just _kill _her!?" Shade looked frightened by this new, strange mage who sacrificed her sister.

"No." Violet looked equally disgusted by the suggestion. "I couldn't let her leave us. I had to change her mind. It knocks her out every time. Something she's never grown out of."

"What did you _do? _And how?"

"I'm a mind reader. What makes you think that if I can see into your mind, I can't manipulate it too? It's difficult, and something that only mind readers - those who have the rare power to transcend blocks your subconscious naturally creates - can do. I simple got into her mind through her eyes, which are the simplest portal that offers the least resistance, and I found the thought rooting her to the idea of leaving, and changed it. When she wakes up, she'll be resolved to stay and fight."

"Will she know she's been manipulated?"

"Of course." Violet sighed. "Most don't, but Rain always has. I think it's a genetic connection type of thing, but I've never really been motivated to study it. She'll understand her original intentions, but won't be able to make sense of her motives or sort her thoughts out enough to form another plan to leave. She's bound to my will until I release her."

"Have you manipulated her to accept it?"

"No. She'll be livid when she realizes, but there's nothing she can do." Violet massaged her temples. "I hate taking away someone's free will, but it had to be done. Just...understand that?"

"We do." Sara said guardedly. "And as morally wrong as what you just did is...I...I appreciate it. The motives and the effort. I really _really _couldn't afford to lose her help. She's got talent."

"But no brain to lead that talent with." Violet hugged Rain's limp form tight to her body. "That's Rain for you."

"You're sure that this won't have any lasting effects?" Rhea asked, studying Rain.

"Positive. She should be up in about an hour."

"Remind me of this the next time I wrong a mind-reader."

"Don't worry," Violet laughed. "Not everyone can do it. It takes years of arduous training before it's even _possible_, and even more years after that to refine." Her expression darkened infinitesimally. "And it's hard to use perfectly. More often than not, whoever tries it mangles their victim's thoughts to such an extent that repair is impossible. Their brains turn to...nothing. It's almost like turning them back into newborns."

"Is she okay?" Sara's eyes flashed to Rain's limp body. "You didn't harm her?"

"Oh god, no. Rain will always be safe. I've never ever done it," Violet whispered, her eyes focused on something only she could see. "not to her."

-------

"The way we're going to do this is simple," Sara explained, skirting a tree stump in the clearing they had found. It was simply packed down dirt and sparse, flattened grass sprinkled with rocks and stumps from clear-cutting the previous Ruler had done to expand on the Grand Council Ministry Building. Everyone was assembled in a rough half-circle facing Shade and Hazel, simulating the possible five-to-one scenario.

"I want this kept clean," Sara continued. "No injuries, no bruising, no tossing anybody to the ground. Anything you're doing, keep it safe. If you throw anybody, let them down gently. Pinning them is as far as you go, and you touch them with your _fingers _to secure a kill. You will _not _touch them with a blade unless it is by _mistake. _If you make that mistake, you're fighting in the extreme back lines of our battle. At this point, you should have complete control over yourself and your weapons. If you don't, you're not risking our lives."

"I'm on the same side as Sara concerning every part of this. We're risking plenty by doing this exercise, but it _does _need to be done. Even though that fact still remains, we need to do this in the safest way possible. Nobody but our enemies will profit from anybody getting injured in this battle. We're not confining you to blank magic because that will never prepare you for a real battle, so you have to exercise extreme caution. Understand?"

"It's understood." Grissom answered, adding a voice to the nods of his companions.

"Then let's go," Rhea smiled wickedly and a dark stream of magic wound its way from her fingertip to the centre of the group. Jordan grinned at her and sent a lazy wave back. It rippled through the air like wake from a boat, moving no more than a half-inch a second. Sara shot a small blue-green ball through Jordan's ripple, dissolving it upon impact.

"Oh, it's on now, mage girl." Jordan laughed and shot back at Sara amid flying streams of magic in electric, shining colours, moving along with the sounds of swords clashing and people laughing. The mock battle was supposed to be serious - a means by which to test Shade and Hazel - but it was turning out to be more of a celebration than anything. A celebration of being able to use their power without fear of being hit from behind.

Shade and Hazel were performing exceptionally considering the powers they both possessed. Shape-shifting was Hazel's power, and extremely difficult to use in a versatile manor. As she ran around the mock fight, knocking down people as she went, sealing their "deaths", she jumped in the air and threaded her way through the battling members of the group. Each jump she took, she shifted midair into a crow, soaring around the area once or twice, weaving through the streams of magic following her. Whenever she was caught between two warriors, she dropped down to the shape of a small, lithe ferret and scurried out of the way. Any other time, be it dropping from the air onto the backs of her opponents or coming up behind them unheard, she assumed the shape of a large black panther. It was clear that this was the shape in which she was most comfortable, for she moved with the grace and boneless motions of a cat, as if she had been born one.

Everybody had thought that Shade had shown them the extent of her powers when she had flown them through the air and to the manor, but they were all wrong. Since the beginning of the battle, she had not moved an inch from the out of the way spot she had chosen for herself. Sitting cross legged on the ground, she had her eyes half-closed and her hands working in the air above her. When anybody got remotely close to her, they could feel a heavy dampness in the air around her, and the branches that drew towards her almost magnetically kept them away. The winds wove around her with each movement of her hands, creating an impenetrable bubble of rushing air around her, protecting her from warriors who dared get closer than the water and the earth would allow. The mages' magic was also useless against her powers. Each time they sent waves towards her, she brought together her hands and directed balls of fire at the magic, dissolving it midair. Only Sara's had gotten through the initial fireballs, but Shade only needed to open her mouth on that one occasion and Sara, too, was rendered almost powerless.

When she added her voice to the air, earth, water and fire, each element wove with her extreme soprano tones, strengthening at the sound of the cadences she created. The notes she created were in perfect harmony with the inexplicable sound of rushing water, howling winds, rustling of leaves and crackle of flames. When the elements' sounds combined with her voice into the eerie, haunting song, the air around her buzzed with power, and she flung the combined forces at Sara. Taken aback at her ineffective powers, Sara had been forced back, though unharmed, and had been rendered motionless as well by the earth that seemed to have claimed her feet as their own, forcing their binding with the ground almost as if Sara herself had grown roots. After years of working together, Hazel needed no prompting to take the next step. She came up to Sara with the speed of a cheetah and pressed one jet black paw to her neck, claw barely touching her leader's skin.

"Gotcha." She purred, her panther-formed eye winking at Sara.

The combined forces of Shade and Hazel were gratifyingly effective, and together, they had "killed" every member of the group but each other, leaving no doubt in anybody's mind about their power or their ability. As an added bonus to the team, they secured a stronger sense of safety. That, combined with their devotion and already professed loyalty made them, in the eyes of both Sara and Rhea, almost the perfect warriors.

* * *

**A/N: This hopefully resolves some of the Shade/Hazel questions. Please review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: I just love it when these write themselves. Thanks to Mysil for reviewing.**

* * *

"I spy with my little eye," Rhea said quietly. "Something that is causing trouble."

"Is it me?" Sara asked with a quiet, deep chuckle.

"Close." The Dark Mage's mouth twisted into a smile. "It's them." Her fingers traced a path in the air, making a thin window through the trees to see the blurred red shapes of the people walking behind them.

"Infrared spell." Sara nodded approvingly. "Nice touch."

"It's certainly a touch easier than trying to get close to them."

"How many do you think there've been?"

"Well, they leave slight infrared marks when they step, see them?" Rhea pointed out small dots of the forest floor that were infinitesimally brighter.

"I see them, but you're better at deciphering them. How many?"

"About twenty over the course of three days, maybe."

"Wonderful." Sara let out a low, whistling breath. "How can you manage to get a number of _days _out of those tiny smudges. I had to do infrared training for a month for my job back in the mortal realms, and even I can't tell."

"That's called practice," Rhea said smugly. "With just a touch of magic."

"Ah. That's your answer for everything, isn't it?"

"How else is it possible to extract days old heat from the ground?"

"So _that's _how you can tell."

"Absolutely." Rhea rolled over on to her back with a sigh, shielding her eyes from the sun and flicking off the infrared window with her other hand. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I. For all they know, we could have doubled back to the other tunnel. They certainly haven't posted a watch, or I'd've known by now. Why are they pulling all their people?" Sara muttered, fixing her gaze on the trees she could no longer see through. "They must have some kind of plan."

"A frontal attack is the only thing I can think of that would require this many of their warriors. They've called back too many to be attempting a stealth mission."

"I wouldn't put it above them." Sara said. "These idiots haven't been doing anything intelligent thus far, so why should they start now?"

"Looks like a storm's coming." Rhea's eyes flitted over dark clouds rolling on the horizon, changing the subject tactlessly.

"Do you think Shade can amplify it?"

"Probably. You've got a plan?"

"If she can make it loud and heavy, the sound will muffle anything we do, and the rain should shield us from infrared, if they're using it."

"That's a genius plan, except that to shield us from heat seeking _magic, _we'll need to very significantly lower our surface temperatures, which will take really, really cold rain."

"Beats getting hacked to death by these guys."

"You know," Rhea pushed herself into a standing position and brushed her clothes off. "I really hate it when you're right."

-------

"Group one will go around to the right, and group two will go to the left." Sara traced two routes on a map projection she had created, each clearly marked and colour coded. "We'll meet up at the base of the mountain whenever we can. There's a cave here," She pointed to a shadow on the map, and it expanded into a three dimensional model of the mountain and the cave itself. "They won't check it because, frankly, they're just not that smart. We'll stay there for the night and reconvene in the morning."

"When will the storm be ready?" Warrick asked, directing his question to Hazel. She was Shade's voice, because apparently weather-working to this extent required a meditative state on the part of the elementalist.

"Less than twenty minutes. Everybody be ready, because it will come on hard, loud and fast." Hazel replied, her eyes following every twitch Shade was making.

"You're all comfortable with the plan?" Sara asked, her gaze sweeping over everybody.

She had divided them all into two groups. She was taking the left route around with Grissom, Rain, Shade, Akona, Catherine and Warrick. Rhea, Violet, Hazel, Nick, Greg and Jordan were going around to the right of the rebels' camp. After their earlier mock battle, everybody's spirits were running high. They were each in tune with their particular skill and with those who could help them achieve the most.

"Everyone changed?" Warrick asked, referring to the changes in clothing they all had to make. In order to allow the rain to sufficiently lower their body temperatures, their clothing needed to be made of substantially thinner material, and the designs to offer much less cover. The women were all wearing sleeveless tops made of spider-silk fabric with straps thick enough to hold the garments up and no more. Their bottoms were, depending on the person, either extremely short skirts or shorts, offering enough cover to get the job done. No fabric was wasted. The men were also in shorts, and shirtless. Everyone was barefoot.

"Get ready." Hazel warned, levelling her gaze on the rapidly approaching clouds. "It's coming soon."

"Remember. Run hard and fast. Stop only when you need to." Sara called to them, her worried gaze on the clouds as well. She was well aware that if her plan failed, they were all surely doomed.

"It's ready." Shade said, opening her eyes and stretching out. "It'll be on top of us in...three, two...one." Exactly on her mark, thunder clapped and the clouds opened up, letting loose sheets of heavy, pounding rain. Each of the group members squealed as the cold water came in contact with their skin. Within the span of a minute, they were all drenched and already despising the plan.

"See you at the base of the mountain." Sara yelled over the raucous sound of the storm, clapping Rhea on the shoulder as they split into their two groups. "Good luck."

-------

"This is stupid." Catherine's teeth chattered as she spoke another string of criticism. "We should rethink the plan."

"We're almost there." Warrick assured her, rubbing her bare arms with his hands. "Just hold on a little longer."

"I hate the cold." She muttered angrily. "Why do you think I live in Vegas?"

"Stop it." Sara glared at them both. "No warming each other by friction. It raises your outer temperature."

"Cold isn't good for humans." Catherine argued. "We could get sick or die."

"I explained that already." Sara sighed. She had cast a core-heating spell on all of them before they had left. While they would remain cool in the infrared's sights, their core temperatures would be warm enough to keep their bodies functioning properly, ensuring they stayed healthy.

"I still don't like it."

"Stop complaining." Rain said, twirling around in the sheets of water that battered them. "This isn't even _close _to how cold it can get in these realms. I like it."

"You would." Akona muttered wickedly. He had shown a certain pleasure in teasing Rain, and she reciprocated with an equal amusement. Other than that and the occasional complaint from Catherine, their journey was, for the most part, a silent one. Shade was concentrating on the storm, harnessing its powers and directing them away from vulnerable villages while ensuring it remained over their divided group and the rebels. Catherine, when not complaining, suffered in silence with the occasional mumbled curse at Sara. Warrick simply kept her as appeased as he could with the resources he had. Rain, of course, was joking with Akona, and enjoying her strange adaptability to the cold. Grissom, who Sara had been watching every chance she got, seemed to be observing Shade's manipulation of the weather. It made sense, considering he had always looked at things scientifically, yet here was a woman younger than he was who could change and channel it and all its powers using only her body, mind and voice.

"Branches up ahead," Rain warned as she pushed through them, in the head of the line. She let the limbs slip from her hand as she moved forwards and they snapped back with a loud swish.

"Rain." Sara growled, wiping away the blood that welled in the new gashes on her cheek. As her fingers passed over them, she let out a long string of curses, their apparent meaning harshened by the guttural tongue she was speaking in.

"Cool it. It was an accident."

"If you don't shut your mouth, we might have another one." She snarled at Rain, the sound ripping straight from her throat. Every inch of her body shone with power, waves of it pulsing out from her, glowing, receding and shock-waving out over the group. The air tingled where it touched them, and Rain knew well enough to stop pushing Sara's volatile temper.

"Sara..." Grissom started, instilling his tone with as much sympathy and understanding as he could manage.

"Save it, Gil. We're getting close, anyways." Despite her effort, they could all hear Sara's attempt at holding her voice.

"About time." Catherine mumbled. "It's just not natural that I should be seeing my breath."

"It's actually perfectly natural," Shade started. "Your breath combines with the air - "

"I don't think that's what she meant." Warrick said with a smile.

"I know it's - "

"Guys, quiet." Sara said suddenly, a finger to her lips. "You hear that?"

It was dead silent while everybody strained to hear whatever Sara was hearing.

"What is it?" Grissom asked, as quietly as he could.

"Probably nothing." Sara sighed and straightened. "Just rain or an animal."

"Are you sure? I can take a quick run over and check it out." Warrick offered.

"No, that's alright." She ran a tired hand through her soaked hair. "Let's just pick up the pace, alright? And no more talking. It's distracting."

-------

"This is it," Sara said, looking up at the sheer rock face in front of them.

"Where's the cave you mentioned?" Grissom asked quietly, ensuring that his voice did not "distract" her after the remainder of their journey had passed in silence.

"The opening is spelled shut." She scraped a thin coating of ice off a slightly recessed stone and blew on it a few times to warm it.

"Is Rhea here yet with the rest of the group?"

"Not yet. She would have opened it, and this hasn't been touched in decades." With practiced ease, Sara tapped her fingertips on the rock in a clear sequence, the stone lighting up under her touch. The stone grated together, but no opening appeared. Sara cursed quietly, muttering about incompetence as she tapped out the sequence a second time. This time, with moaning and creaking, a series of stones slid aside, creating a person-sized opening into the dark cave.

"This looks safe." Catherine muttered, rubbing her arms and peering in from a distance.

"It is. Feel free to stay out in the rain though, if you don't trust me." Sara walked in easily and snapped her fingers, producing a glow from above that softly lit each corner of the surprisingly large cavern.

"God, it's just as cold in here!"

"Sorry I didn't have time to install radiant heating. I was a little pressed for time."

"Does everybody know how to get in here?" Grissom asked, studying the formations in the rock closely, especially around the disappearing door.

"It's mine." Sara responded, shaking her head. "I spelled the door, so I'm the only one who knows the combination."

"But Rhea - "

"Got a pass from me. If I give her a certain sequence, it lets her enter on a guest basis, providing that I approve it. The whole system is exceedingly complicated, but for all that, it's flawless and completely secure. You have nothing to worry about."

"Except maybe starving to death." Catherine muttered, forever the pessimist. "Now we're cold _and _hungry."

"What part of _safe _do you not understand. We've got food in here. Please tell me you're not above getting it yourself." Sara's arm arced in a messy half-circle that included piles pushed against the wall. They had no apparent rhyme or reason to them, and Catherine's eyes widened as she took them in.

"I'm supposed to make heads or tails out of _those_?"

"Absolutely," Sara dug into one and pulled out a carved container that she threw in Catherine's direction. "Dried fruit. Enjoy it."

"Thanks..." The blonde looked inside the container cautiously, but her head shot up when the stone started creaking again.

"It is _wet _out there." Nick walked in behind Rhea, shaking his wolf-pelt like a dog. "Nice job, Shade."

"I aim to please." The elementalist smiled happily and winked.

"Good trip?" Sara asked the other leader.

"Good as you'd expect when it's so cold and damp out." Rhea shivered. "Well, we know infrared was useless in that storm."

"The only high point, I presume?"

"The walk itself wasn't terrible. Just uncomfortable."

" 'least you were stuck with the competent bunch." Sara muttered. "You would not _believe _all the complaints I got from the people whose lives I'm trying to save."

"Yellow is for lemons, Sar, not for people." Jordan called from the back of the cave where she was digging food out of a pile for the cold warriors lined up behind her.

"What?" Greg asked through a strip of sticky grain.

"I'm saying that bitterness doesn't suit her."

"Just ignore it. She had that same attitude the entire way here." Rain said with a grin.

Jordan looked pointedly at her friend and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh shut up, will you?" Sara growled, but her voice held no venom. In fact, it sounded more like a throaty purr.

Jordan nodded curtly and made no move to speak, but she kept her eyes trained on her friend, searching for the food simply by touch and familiarity with the piles themselves. Each glimpse of Jordan's gaze Sara caught was uncomfortable. As usual, Jordan saw more than Sara would have liked.

"Jord, cut it out." Sara said half-heartedly. "Get out of my head."

"No need to be irritable." Jordan studied her friend's face for another long moment, then switched her tongue to a strange one that few in the caves had heard before. "_Diamore?"_

_"Niahchet." _Sara snapped, turning on Jordan with pure fire in her eyes.

"_Lovasaa dia tomareia." _Jordan laughed under her breath. "_Nacahshaa tialo metian?" _

Pure feral growls rolled from Sara's chest one after another, her body pulsing blindingly. Unlike before, the magic was not simply beating outwards, but was struggling inside Sara as well. With what looked to be the beating of her heart, her skin shifted. Sometimes a pulse brought tattooed designs to the surface, sometimes it changed her colouring, and sometimes changed her power altogether.

"_Itanastra dalomara." _Jordan said, holding a hand in the air for peace. Her tone dripped with calm and clarity.

"_Litanoia deahk donafedra." _Sara spat back. She was far beyond being reined in by voice, having been pushed to her limit.

"Why can't anything mortal ever be this exciting." Rain slid on to the floor next to Violet, who was watching the exchange with a half-detached look in her eyes. "Are you watching from the inside?"

"It's _fascinating." _Violet said, watching the two women's every moves. As Rain had correctly guessed, she was watching their movements but listening to their conversation from inside their minds.

"I had no idea Jordan spoke Ancient." Rhea added, joining them, as did the bulk of the group when they found out that Violet was closer to understanding the words than any of them. "I guessed Sara did, but I've never met anybody else who even understands."

"It's a dead language." Hazel murmured. "Nobody speaks it anymore. Least of all fluently."

Ancient was the name given to a combination of languages that had existed in the realms since their creation. Over the ages, it had died out like many of the languages and traditions had. It was now understood by few, spoken passably by even fewer, and spoken fluently by nearly nobody. Except, apparently, Sara and Jordan, for you would have to be fluent to carry on such a heated conversation.

"It sounds almost...Latin?" Grissom commented, trying futilely to place it.

"I'd rather learn Latin." Violet said, her eyes alight as Sara tried to fry Jordan with a thin stream of magic that gave off sparks as it flew. "Ancient has so many dialects and particularities, it's a pain to learn and almost impossible to retain."

"How so?"

"It was made of combinations of different languages from different regions in different realms. There are so many accents, stress points and cadences. Nobody even speaks it anymore, so why bother learning."

"Seems somebody speaks it." He gestured to Jordan and Sara.

"I imagine Sara retained it from her youth, when it was just beginning to die but was still taught to a chosen few. She probably taught it to Jordan so they could understand one another in a setting with many others for whom their words are not intended. Much like now, I presume."

"They really aren't exchanging many words anymore." Rain's mouth pulled up in one corner to form a wry grin. What she said was true. When Sara had attempted to magick Jordan into non-existence, Jordan had drawn on Sara's own power through their blood tie and bound her magic. They were now fighting with thin bladed daggers, exchanging words in Ancient that were clearly curses and insults.

"What are they saying, Vi?"

"Nothing polite enough to repeat." Violet cringed. "Their thoughts are hard to read. Jordan is thinking in words mostly, but Sara's head is like being caught in a hurricane."

"That's nothing new." Greg snickered. Grissom, ever the supervisor, levelled a glare in Greg's direction, silencing the younger man.

"How so, Violet?" Grissom asked.

"She's thinking in pictures and colours and emotions, and letting the words come on their own. Jordan is less comfortable in Ancient, though she is fluent as well. It's quite a formidable show, actually, considering how hard Ancient is to master."

"Sara's first language is Ancient." Rhea supplied. "Her first word was in the original dialect, strangely, so we taught her in it. Kantaran came second, then...Latin...I believe. She's picked up the other languages spoken in the realms, including almost all of the dialects. Then, she learned French, Gaelic and Gaulish in the mortal realms. We visited a lot when she was very young, before all the major upheaval."

"And English?"

"That was one of the last she learned, I think. Sara tends to learn languages as they come into popularity. When English became important to the world as a whole, she learned it."

"Strange." Grissom murmured to himself, secretly envying this woman he thought he knew so well. The mastery of languages - spoken and otherwise - had been a pastime of his.

"It is, really. She's a fast learner, but multilingual fluency is hard to come by in these realms. The people are generally not...motivated enough to learn more of a language than it takes to order a beer."

"It's true, too." Hazel laughed, nodding to the fight. "Anybody want to bet on a winner?"

"Nah. They're evenly matched." Nick said. "I predict a draw."

"Evenly matched? You're _joking. _Jordan isn't half the fighter Sara is. With or without magic."

"Yes, but Sara would never hurt Jordan. This is born of frustration." Warrick added. "You can tell she's holding back."

"Jordan can take care of herself. You'd be surprised." Rhea said pensively. "I've seen her take Sara before on a less equal footing. She's got skills in her own right."

"She'll need them tonight. Sara's gone nuts." Rain said, watching them move around the corner of a large stone. Their voices still carried, and nobody had the motivation to move, so they listened.

"_Sitana daie birana." _Sara hissed at Jordan. _You've gone too far._

_"Awla yi tenore donamiza." You needed to be pushed._

_"Latoraie nadora tanagi ratourah." You had no right._

"I had _every _right!" Jordan yelled, breaking into English.

"I told you I wanted to be left alone!"

"You've been saying that you're entire life, and I've never left you. What makes you think now will be any different." Jordan thrust the hilt of her dagger at Sara, catching her friend's arcing blade in the wood, rendering the two weapons useless.

"This time I actually mean it. You remember what happened last time we conflicted. I don't want you to leave again."

"You're protecting me? Sara, I can protect myself."

"Not from me, you can't."

"I'm doing fine." Jordan jumped out of the way of another flying blade and thrust her own into the air between them, winning herself some space. "_Stop trying to kill me." _

"You think that if I really wanted you dead that you'd still be fighting me?"

"You're giving me a _pity _fight!" Jordan threw her blade to the ground in disgust. "That's it. I'm done."

"Never throw down your weapon in a fight." Sara was instantly beside the other brunette, the cold metal of her dagger pressed against Jordan's neck.

"You would never fight an unarmed opponent. Least of all me." Jordan plucked the blade from Sara's hand and threw it next to hers. "Talk to me, please."

"I'm running the show here, Jord, and I say I don't want to talk. We won't be any time soon, so don't hold your breath."

"This is exactly how you acted after Torrenta. Nobody likes you when you're this way. I don't know why you do it."

"Because I'm so damn _frustrated._ Nothing's going properly, we don't know what the rebels are doing, we can't run reconnaissance missions because everybody's tired and needy and so _mortal._ I don't know who to trust, we have absolutely no concrete plan, we're running out of time, we don't know where to look, nobody knows anything useful, they all complain and we _still _have a prisoner who nobody trusts but me, and I'm only one person. Nobody seems to get that."

"What?"

"That I'm only one person. I'm not a god and, though I'm immortal, I don't know the answer to everything. And I'm part human too. I need sleep and food like everyone else, but I'm spreading myself too thin trying to cover all the bases that nobody else can, and trying to be everywhere at once. It's so. damn. tiring."

"You could delegate tasks, you know."

"What's the point! I'd have to teach everyone anyways, and they're all angry at me for being a tad annoyed, and they'd do it wrong anyways. Besides, I just want to go home. No amount of sleep will change that."

"I thought the mortal realms annoyed you even more."

"They do, but I mean my home here. I still have one. My original hut, not the Grand Council Building. It's still in Kantara, and nobody knows where it is, and it's still layered in wards and protective spells."

"And you said you wouldn't talk to me." Jordan grinned.

"I won't. Stop pushing."

"Stop fighting me."

"No, Jordan. You know I hate to pull rank, but I _am _technically your superior, and I'm giving you a direct order. _Stop._"

Jordan's expression darkened visibly - she hated when Sara pointed out their differences in rank - but her mouth stayed shut.

"Promise me that you'll at least trust the rocks to protect us tonight and get some rest like everyone else?"

"I don't make promises." Sara replied darkly. "Not anymore."

"For gods sake, Sara. Don't pull this shit with me. You're still the person you were thirty years ago, and the same person you were thousands of years ago. You were born Sarayelle Alkina, and you will _stay _Sarayelle Alkina until the day you die. No attitude change will alter that. But you need to stop feeling so damn sorry for yourself and realize that you're just like everyone here. You are a kid living in a body whose obligations you can't fill on your own. The sooner you accept that, the sooner things will start going your way. Like you said, you're only one person." Jordan sighed and placed a hand on Sara's shoulder, firm and tight with the strength of her frustration and anger with Sara's stubborn attitude. "And one person, no matter how strong, can n_ot _save the world. You need people to help you - to carry out the actions you envision while you carry out others. You have that system, Sar." Jordan's arm arced out to include the entire group on the other side of the rocky partition. "You have us."

* * *

** A/N: Hope you enjoyed the extra long chapter. Please review. We both love getting them, so that's two times the reason you had before! Thanks for reading!**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Seems that the extra long chapter was appreciated, so here's another one. This turn of events was written for the first OTE, but was never used. I dug it up the other day, and we decded to work it in. Hope you like it.**

* * *

Grissom awoke first.

He looked blearily around the cave at his friends, each one lit in the soft, magically conjured light coming from above. For the most part, they were all in one area of the cave, sleeping close to one-another for warmth. Grissom himself found that he had Sara on one side and Nick's wolf body on the other. As much as his unconscious mind shied away from the invasion of personal space, he found that their close quarters provided adequate heat, and that he rather liked having Sara pressed against him in such a fashion, even though they had been less than close lately.

One thing he found he _didn't _like was Akona's close proximity to Sara. He was sleeping with his head only inches away from hers. There was no doubt in Grissom's mind that he would be right next to her if not for Jordan. Sara's friend had her arms wrapped protectively around Sara with their heads bent together, the remnants of a whispered conversation that had stretched on long after everybody had fallen asleep. Akona was already encroaching on this. His right arm was sprawled so it rested on Sara's shoulder, his hand dangling to brush her cheek.

With as much care as possible, Grissom extracted himself from the tangle of people and stood, stretching as he moved to the pile of food they had created the day before. As he was hunting for something edible, he heard a thumping coming from outside the cave. Not trusting his instincts, he listened until he saw a small pile of rock dust collecting on the floor. That's when the panic set in.

"There are people outside." He bent down to whisper in Sara's ear. If he was simply mistaken and they were perfectly safe, he felt it better to embarrass himself in front of only one person.

"Wha..?" Sara, for all she said about her flawless reflexes and perfectly tuned senses, was still slow in the mornings.

"There is something hitting the wall. I believe there are people out there."

"That's wonderful." She extracted herself from Jordan's grasp expertly, disturbing no-one. "Where?"

"There?" He pointed to the patch of stone above the pile of dust. He was certain he had heard a banging moments earlier, but everything was silent now.

"I certainly don't..." Sara pressed her ear to the spot he identified, and her eyes widened as her voice faded.

Everything following that moment happened in slow motion.

Sara screamed for him to get back as she dove to the ground. Not trusting his slow reflexes, she put an arm out. It met his chest with the strength of an eighteen wheeler and forced the breath from his lungs. He fell to the ground beneath her and she threw up a hasty dome of magic, covering their entire group, all now awake. Just as she started the dome, the wall imploded and showered bits of rock and grit all over them. The majority bounced of Sara's dome, but a few good-sized chunks made a dent in the thin walls of the magic.

The dents made by the rocks didn't matter, in essence, because as soon as the door and magical wards surrounding the cave were broken, they snapped inwards, creating a magically fuelled shockwave that neutralized Sara's power and ruined their protection.

"That worked just as I expected it would." A woman they had never met stepped forwards, flanked by two male guards. She levelled her gaze at Sara, who swore eloquently between choking on the rock dust.

"Now, is that necessary?" The woman smirked. Her appearance was shocking to say the very least. She had skin the colour of creamy caramel. Her face was painted a shockingly bright white with dark yellow accents on her cheekbones and chin. Her companions stood where they had originally arrived, hands clasped loosely in front of them. Their garments were very much the same, only the man on the right was wearing a tunic in a shade of purple to match his face, and the other man's was a deep forest green.

"You're wanted by our leader." the man in the group said with a smile. "And it would be in your best interests to accompany us."

"And if we refuse?" Warrick let his hand rest on the hilt of his sword.

"That would not be a wise decision on your part, but if it is what you wish..." the other man's hand hovered above his sword as well.

"You needn't concern yourself with that possibility," Sara stepped between them, coughing into a fist. "We will be accompanying you."

-------

"Where are they taking us?" Nick asked softly, everyone leaning in to hear the answer.

"To their camp. We're on their land, so they have the right to take us at any rate. I knew it was a gamble coming here, but there's always that 50/50 chance that they won't catch us." Sara's demeanour had not improved. This was in part due to their capture, and in part due to the fact that she still could not catch her breath. It was, she had explained, a side effect of magical shockwaves. Almost like radiation fallout, but not fatal. Not to her, at least.

"How can they take _us_ in. You're the Ruler."

"Not their Ruler, I'm not." she shook her head.

"What do you mean? You rule all of the realms, don't you?"

"Yes, but only in title and minor duties." she sighed and lowered her voice. "Privately, I've never really liked the idea of a Ruler, but it's not something that can be changed at the drop of a hat. The political systems here are hard to understand, but to them, I'm just another mortal-realm going citizen, and Rhea's just the girl who lives in the big house. Dalmaria is their Ruler, and as much as I hate to say it, she's damn good at it too."

"Will we meet her in their camp?"

"We actually kind of already have. That," she pointed to the woman in the front. "is Alicia. She is Dalmaria's second in command. Whatever Dalmaria knows, Alicia knows too."

"What is she going to do to us?" Catherine's voice held the edge that most with her ability used when they knew something was out of their hands.

"I don't know. She might keep us for a time, she might let us go...she may just want to have a chat."

"Can you do anything about this?"

"What happens here is ultimately up to her. Nothing I say will influence her decision. I can try, of course, and I will, but I don't know where I stand with her as of late. We will see."

"Do they hate you?"

"They certainly don't respect me, but I don't know if I'd go as far as hating me. Of course, some do very much despise me, some don't mind me and most are just on the fence about the whole thing. Depends on the person. Just be assured that our stay with Dalmaria will not be a vacation. Watch your backs, too. As I said, there are some who dislike me very much, and will hate you by association. I should field most of the 'blows' directed at our group, but be on your lookout."

They all nodded. Greg started to speak, but Sara held up a hand.

"You know everything that's important. Best to save our conversations for later." she nodded to the people surrounding them. "And when there are fewer ears to hear it."

-------

After what seemed like very little time at all, they were entering what Sara called Dalmaria's "camp" though it was more a village than anything. As well as thick canvas tents, there were wooden buildings, gas lamps and a well in a well sized clearing bordered by the forest's thick trees.

The group was herded towards a small circular building made of stone with a wood-shingled roof.

"We'll be waiting out here, so I wouldn't advise an escape." The man warned, crossing his arms so his shirt tightened against his waist, making visible the outline of a dagger strapped to him. The wooden door clicked shut behind them, and they walked farther into the room, all disconcerted by the unknown surroundings.

"Don't be afraid." Crooned a soft voice from farther back in the room. "I'm not set on harming you just yet."

"Greetings, Dalmaria." Sara knelt briefly and bowed her head, those behind her following suit.

"Now isn't this just a scream," the woman said, her tone dry and laced with a soft, exotic sounding accent. "Who would have thought the likes of you would have the nerve to travel in my realm."

Everyone was now well trained enough not to gape at the stranger, but it would have been warranted. The woman had dark skin the colour of coffee. Her leggings were a creamy beige, partially covered by the hem of her orange sleeveless tunic whose edges looked to have been cut by the claws of a large animal, though most of them understood that the effect had everything to do with intimidation, and very little to do with fashion itself. In fact, this was the second most intimidating thing about her, and would have been in the top spot if not for her face.

It was painted a glossy blood red that moved with her skin and did not crack. Her eyes were outlined heavily in the same type of paint only in black, and symbols winding around her face in black paint completed the look. Her dark hair swung in a thick curtain as she walked slowly around them, a half smile on her face.

"What an strange group." she said finally, speaking to herself. "Many mortals. Interesting choice." Then her gaze rested on the group. "I wish to speak to your leader alone. You may leave us." At that they balked, though her tone was demanding. As a group, they were used to doing things together, and sticking by one another in times such as these.

"Go," Sara whispered, her ragged voice as insubstantial as a breath. "Don't anger her." With nods, they all walked away, exchanging few words with the guards as they stepped outside the door.

"What brings one so noble to my side of the world?" Dalmaria asked, infinitesimally more casual now that there were only two of them.

"I do not consider myself better than any in these realms. The title is one that was thrust upon me, not one I sought out."

"And are you convinced it has not gone to your head?" she walked around Sara slowly and precisely, like a cat stalking its prey.

"I am. I spend little time with the title as it is. I have passed it, along with its responsibilities, to one far more qualified, and I am certain she rules fairly."

"She is not the one with who I have a quarrel."

"Can we not settle our quarrel like adults, then?" Sara raised one eyebrow in challenge. Dalmaria smiled.

"I see very little has changed. You are still an avid fan of duelling to settle scores?"

"Not to the extent I was the last time we crossed swords."

"Yet you challenge me again?"

"I know the terms of a fight with you. I feel comfortable in defending myself in that fashion."

"Very well." Dalmaria sat in a wooden seat on the dais at the extreme rear of the room, crossing her legs gracefully. "We shall have a duel, you and I. At twilight, by the light of the fire."

"As you wish." Sara nodded her head.

"And, as custom dictates, your face must be painted."

"I have not forgotten my time here, Dalmaria. I will follow your rules to the letter, if they have not changed."

"They have not." A hint of a warm smile made Dalmaria's painted lips twitch. She winked at Sara, the meaning not lost between them, and waved a hand. "You may leave."

"I will see you at twilight." Sara said.

"No, I fancy we will see each other before then. You and your company may dine in my audience this evening, in the main tent. Come painted and prepared. We will fight immediately afterward."

"As you wish, your majesty." Sara bowed once more, though briefly this time. The rarity of captives eating with any of the free members of Dalmaria's society was not lost on her, and she suspected there would be some attempted tricks at the very least, if nothing was done to the food they would be eating. She would have to remind her people to be cautious.

-------

That evening, Sara and her group entered the dining hall separately. Sara had explained that the ritual of a fight entailed the participants to enter each other's company after no less than an hour spent alone. Dalmaria had held up her end of the bargain, and was now seated at the head of a long, u-shaped table. Those who everyone expected to be her senior advisors sat on her right, and guards to her left. Everyone else sat on the two arms of the 'u' with their group - small by comparison - on one of the corners between two groups of guards. People kept filtering in, filling seats that were not yet taken. A woman sat close to them, only two guards separating them from her. She looked tense underneath her paint. It was glossy like the rest, and deep, midnight blue in colour. Her eyes were outlined in bright white that expanded at the corners into a series of intricate symbols that wound their way down her face and around her painted neck, lighting her face up with beautiful spirals and curls.

"Did they treat you alright?" she asked them, leaning over the two guards. Only then did they realize it was Sara. She looked almost alien to them with her paint, and wearing bright white leggings and a midnight blue tunic to match her face.

"We were treated fine." Catherine assured her, the first to recover. "They kept us in a guarded tent, but other than that, they left us alone."

"It's not their way to confront prisoners without Dalmaria's leave. I assure you, though, if I lose tonight's duel, we will all be in her service for a very long time."

"Is she - " Greg started to speak, but Sara made a hand gesture and cut him off.

"Remember what I said about speaking in the presence of many ears?" Sara looked around at the table, many faces turned in their direction.

"Yes, but - "

"Just get through this meal, and we can talk this evening. Act as diplomatic as you can. In this clan, she is the Queen, and you treat her like it. Speak when you're spoken to by a clan member, but to nobody else. Captives don't speak amongst themselves. Otherwise, eat what you're given. Clean your plate, or it's seen as an insult worthy of persecution. I want us all leaving here _alive, _understand?"

"We understand." They whispered in a disjointed unison. Sara nodded tensely and turned her attention to Dalmaria, trying desperately to remember what she needed to do to win.

-------

Immediately after their meal, the entire clan - Sara's group in tow - moved to the clearing by the large bonfire. They were now all seated in a large circle around the fire, leaving a space of ten feet on each side where the battle would take place.

"Your draw." Sara said politely, nodding to the weapons table.

"What a surprise." Dalmaria said dryly, picking up a short, sharp, thin bladed weapon called a Tarnam. "Is this adequate?"

"If it is your will, my queen." Sara replied. To her warriors, it was a shock to see her submit to someone who clearly was not on their side.

"Yes, I believe it is." Dalmaria threw a blade to Sara, who caught it by the hilt.

"Dorian, would you do me the honour of calling our match?"

"The pleasure would be mine, Majesty." A well built man stepped to the middle of the circle, bowing to Dalmaria first, Sara next, and the spectators last.

"The duel will now begin!" he called out in a strong, deep voice. "Competitors, salute." Sara and Dalmaria saluted each other with their blades simultaneously. "Take your pace!" They both walked seven paces from Dorian. He stepped back and met both their eyes. "Your kills must be clean." he said, and then dropped his arm. At that signal, they both stood more alert.

Slowly, Dalmaria shifted her weight from foot to foot, swaying slightly with the movement. Her blade was in her belt, as tradition stated a blade must be contained until its wielder was prepared to strike a blow. Sara's blade was also stuck in her belt, and she was standing still, her weight balanced on the balls of her feet, her eyes shifting with Dalmaria's every movement. Both were waiting for the other to make the first move. With a barely noticeable arch of her eyebrow, Dalmaria made Sara's choice for her. With a sigh, Sara lunged sloppily, and Dalmaria blocked, trying to force Sara's blade out of her hand. It was clear who had the upper hand authority-wise, but in the skill sense they seemed to be evenly matched. Sara was following Dalmaria's ridiculous cues every time she was given one, but was doing everything in her power to keep the duel in her control. Then, almost if someone had flipped a switch, the cues stopped, and everything changed. Dalmaria gave the smallest of nods, missed by half who were watching, and they both visibly relaxed and fell into another part of themselves - one where they were on more equal terms. Sara moved towards Dalmaria purposefully now, gliding in the graceful, boneless movements of a cat. The queen's eyes flashed with promise of a real challenge, and she advanced as well, her blade swinging casually from one hand as she moved. Sara took the opportunity and darted towards the queen, bringing her blade down on Dalmaria's shoulder. As if they were moving in slow motion, Dalmaria stepped out of the way and tried to cut Sara with the ridged edge of her weapon. Sara caught the blade in her own and let her weight fall to her back foot, rocking slightly as her stance changed.

Changing positions so she was on the offensive, Dalmaria swung again, in a heavy blow that could have cut through bone. Sara jumped back a half-step and thrust her sword so their blades caught at the hilts. They both sprang apart at the same time, and studied one another once more. Both their faces were glistening with sweat, yet the paint stayed on. When they came together again, neither could land a blow, and again, and again. It was almost as if their movements were choreographed or practiced many times so they fit together like pieces of a puzzle. In fact, their duel did seem much like a dance, the way they moved fluidly around one another, waving their blades, the fire lighting up the symbols painted on their faces. They looked like the exotic warrior maidens of old that everyone had heard so much about.

Finally, Dalmaria landed a blow. She switched sword hands and hacked at Sara's unprotected side. Though her reflexes were fast enough to spare her a near-fatal injury, they were not fast enough to stop the weapon from creating a deep gash on her hip. There was a sickening sound as metal scraped something harder and Dalmaria let her arm drop. The rules stated that the first to draw blood was the victor, and Sara didn't seem at all angry at her loss. In fact, through the mask of pain on her face, she looked pleased.

"Well played." Dalmaria saluted her again.

"Though not as adept as my queen." Sara said weakly, saluting with the hand not pressed against her hip.

"We both know the reality." She replied with a small smile. "Now, let's get you some healing before you pass out."

"Thank you, but I have a healer with me."

"That I know, but you may find that your magic is...less than functional within my region. Best to leave all things magic to me." she took Sara by the hand and led her towards a small, red tent with charms and mage symbols hung on it.

"That was refreshing," Dalmaria said cheerfully as they faded into the depths of the camp. "We must do it again some time."

"Only if you don't hack me to pieces." Sara said, as comfortable as if she were speaking with a cherished friend. "I don't think I could handle it if every time is like this one."

"This was for proof, my dear." Dalmaria patted her on the arm and held the tent flap open. "Only for proof..."

-------

Sara groaned slightly as her eyes opened. She felt groggy, and her side felt stiff and sore. As she awoke fully, the soreness turned into a white hot burning, until it was so painful that she had to place her hand over it and let her magic numb it, though it took away energy that was becoming precious in her weakened state. She was, however, pleased to find that her magic worked when the magic of others would not. She had expected it would be that way, but was relieved to find that it was true.

"Thank god." Catherine said softly from her position beside the bed. "We all wondered if you would be up soon."

"What are you doin' here?" Sara asked sleepily.

" They said we could say with you." She jerked a thumb in the direction of Warrick, Nick, Greg and Grissom, who were all asleep scattered about the room, most of them in what looked to be uncomfortable but comical positions. "Everyone else is in the other tent. This one was small."

"You guys sh'd be eatin' not wait'n here f'r me." she yawned. "They wo'n hurt ya."

"We know. We eat with them, and Warrick was out and about the camp earlier, but I think we're all more comfortable here, as a group."

"Whatever pleases you." Sara struggled to sit and winced as she stretched her wound. "How long's it been?"

"Since your fight? About two and a half days."

"Not a bad hang time." She ran a finger over the wound. It was closed, but still an angry red line along her hip. Healing only ever went so far. "They say what happened?"

"Normal blade wound." Catherine said, trying to sound flippant and detached as protectors should when talking to a patient, but failing. "She hit bone. Nicked it, and there ought to be a nice scratch in it that may hurt with change in weather, but it's fine now."

"I felt it scrape." Sara nodded with another yawn. "Where's the sun?"

"In the sky."

"Where in the sky, Catherine?"

"Uh..." she poked her head out the tent flap for a moment. "A ways between peak and horizon."

"About dinnertime then. Care to join me?"

"I can bring you something."

"Thanks, but no. I want to get out of this cursed tent. Only awake five minutes and I'm sick of it." She stood and winced. "She really did a number on me."

"We were worried."

"No need. I don't _think_ she'd cause any undue harm."

"You were following her orders right enough." Catherine snorted out a laugh. "I don't know if you were paying enough attention to hear, but there was a bet circulating in the crowd that if she asked you to take your own blade to your throat, you would."

"No betting with these folk." Sara said lazily. "They cheat like crooked poker players."

"We didn't bet. Just thought to give you a spectator's perspective."

"I appreciate it. I knew what I was doing, though. At the start of the duel, she was giving me those instructions because she was testing me. If I followed them, she considered me 'loyal' and worthy enough to actually fight. If I hadn't followed, she would have put a dozen of her guards on me until I was killed. At least that's how she normally does it. She changes from time to time."

"Is it good that you got away with what you did?"

"It depends on her mood. This is a small wound for her to give on a bad day, a big one for her to give on a good day. It certainly wasn't any fun for me." she absentmindedly rubbed her side and lead Catherine into the main tent. There were few seated at the long table, as dinner hadn't been put out yet. Dalmaria was chatting casually with two guards at her side when Sara and Catherine walked in. The moment she catalogued them in her peripheral vision, she turned with a smile on her face.

"Finally awake, I see." she motioned Sara closer with a finger. "All healed up, then?"

"Healed enough, Majesty." Sara shrugged, halfway between insolent and polite. Dalmaria gave a crooked smile.

"Sense of humour. I like that."

"I figured, my Lady." Sara smiled as well.

"This evening, you and your companions eat with me." She proclaimed, albeit casually.

"As you wish." Sara nodded, eyeing the main part of the large table, privately wondering where there would be room. As if Dalmaria could read her mind, she replied,

"We will not eat here. We will eat privately. I will show you where. If your male companions are not awake for the occasion, they will miss it. Do not wake them yourself. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good." she stood and stretched her arms, cracking her knuckles along the way. Her guards stood with her, but she motioned for them to sit back down. "I'll be fine. They're nothing I can't handle myself." she called to Sara and Catherine over her shoulder, already walking away. "Come."

-------

Dalmaria's private dining room was significantly smaller than the main tent. Rhea and Jordan, along with Shade and Hazel, joined Catherine and Sara at the table. As Dalmaria wished, nobody who was absent for her initial request was extended the invitation to a private dinner. The food she served was fresh and expertly spiced, a change from the fireside stew that the group had become familiar with over the course of their travels.

The conversation was not overly formal, though Dalmaria firmly maintained her place as highest ranking member of the dinner assembly. They discussed the group's journey and the brief history of Dalmaria's camp. Through their interest, however, nobody could forget that this was the woman who had inflicted a wound upon their leader that had left her incapacitated for two days. The dinner was uncomfortable at best.

After a fruity desert was served, Dalmaria stood, calling the room to attention simply by the force of her presence.

"Leave us." Dalmaria waved a hand at the rest of the women. "I wish to have a private word with your friend here." Catherine bowed and left efficiently, followed by Rhea, Jordan, Shade and Hazel. Dalmaria waited until the door clicked shut before she relaxed into her seat.

"Do they suspect anything?" she asked Sara.

"Not that I know. You're doing well enough ordering me around."

"You're doing well enough making an ass of yourself kissing up to me." She laughed. "Do you think they'll guess in time?"

"Surely not." Sara grinned. "Nobody would guess that the Ruler of these kingdoms is friendly with the Queen of the Clan Rebels."

"No they would not." She agreed. "Though, I thought they would suspect something when you came to the duel painted like you were."

"Overdid it?" Sara grimaced and propped her feet up on the dais. "I haven't for so long that I got a little enthusiastic about it."

"You did fine. The symbols were all correct and in the right places, and the colours were well mixed. They probably don't know overdone from underdone anyways."

"I will never forget how to do that, as long as I live." Sara said. "It was fun."

"You looked right at home." Dalmaria nodded her agreement. "That's what I thought would tip them off, but I guess they didn't notice."

"They were worried about the duel. You were good."

"As were you. I didn't mean for you to get injured to such an extent. I thought you would block."

"I figured I'd let you land one so we could finish the cursed thing. I was getting restless, but I knew I had to let you win."

"What did you tell them about it?"

"I told them the wound inflicted depended on your mood, and that I had to do what you told me because it was a test."

"At least that was true."

"Don't see why you had to do that in the first place. Made me look like a damn fool."

"I had to test your allegiance somehow." she shrugged. "We're past that now, though."

"My group needs to get back to our journey eventually, you know. You've _got _to know about what the demons are planning."

"I know, but you can't leave until I release you. And I want you to stay for a couple more days."

"You know," Sara continued after a small pause. "As we're moving around more, I realize just how many people on this side of the law I know. It's starting to seem unreal, a bit."

"You were always an attention grabber, what with that power of yours and being a child of the Night and all... I guess word got around that you were a good friend to have."

"Really? Now here I thought it was my personality."

"That is a part of it, true, but you've kept so many because of your alliance with us, even with the power. It hasn't gone to your head."

"You're all too much fun, that's the problem." Sara's face cracked in a wry smile. "No offense to them, but some people on the 'good' side of the law are dreadfully boring."

"Which is why I stay on my side." Dalmaria grinned. "I admit, I was surprised to find out that you were taking the highest position on _that_ side."

"This is why I keep my friends on your side. I need you...all of you...to keep me sane."

"Sane?"

"Yeah. I used to live on your side, and I used to be good at it, and it used to be my life. I need some of it every once in a while."

"You miss it." Dalmaria said with a slow building smile.

"Don't rub it in."

"Well, I'll say this: You certainly haven't lost your proficiency for working on the 'wrong' side of the law."

"That means a lot coming from a Queen."

"As it should." Dalmaria nodded.

"So, why did you break into my safe house in the first place? Your people are _impossible _to extract information from."

"They're well trained. As for your question, I knew you'd be there, and I need to talk to you."

"You could have knocked. Do you know how long it will take me to rebuild. Add that to the fact that I'm still not one hundred percent recovered from the shockwave they created, and it leads to a...lack of inclination to talk."

"Well, I outrank you here. You _have _to talk to me."

"Pull rank, why don't you." Sara mumbled angrily. "What do you need?"

"It's really more of a request, considering your prowess in almost every area."

"Dalmaria..."

"Hear me out." The queen ordered. "With the rebels planning this, they are going to be trouble. They have a large, strong group, and they're determined. They may very well get what they want, and in the event of that happening, we will both need powerful allies."

"What are you suggesting, Dalmaria?" Sara's tone was flat; dangerous in her still-ragged voice.

"It's not a suggestion, Sara. It's an order." Sitting up to her full height, Dalmaria looked down at Sara regally, asserting her dominance. "I, Dalmaria, Leader of the Clan of Painted Warriors, order you, Sarayelle Alkina, in the company of your warriors, to join my service as full members of the Clan."

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell us what you think. Can't you see the little button down there just beckoning to you?**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Thanks to the great reviews from last chapter.**

* * *

"Dalmaria," Sara's expression was set in stone. "I am no longer in your service. I'm not required to follow your orders."

"No, you're not _required _to follow me. I stick by my principle that only those pledged to my service must."

"There's a loophole though, isn't there."

"As my prisoners, I can force you to join me. My methods will not be pleasant." Dalmaria smiled sickeningly, exceedingly pleased with herself.

"You wouldn't." Sara growled.

"I've treated you with respect and courtesy up until this point, Sara. That treatment extends to when you _were _one of mine. I expect to be repaid."

"I'm not in your _debt_, Dalmaria. If it weren't for my influence, your clan would be wiped out by now. Very few others in the ministry approve of your exploits."

"I assume you will assemble your group and attempt to fight your way out?" For everything her words implicated, the queen sounded bored. She flicked a hand and a yellow-orange wall shimmered over the door, expanding to coat the other three walls and the ceiling. "I believe you will find it difficult to leave my presence. I do not tolerate insubordination within my clan."

"Nor do I." With a twitch of her fingers, a blue green wave slithered over Dalmaria's walls, leaving magical dust in its wake as the yellow-orange magic disintegrated.

"You don't want this showdown to happen, child. You _will _lose."

"Don't push me, Dalmaria. I've changed since you last saw me."

"But I haven't, and you know how I _love_ to push the rules."

"Bring it." Sara growled. Their gazes were locked, both equally furious. Dalmaria, still seated comfortable on her throne, was flicking drops of magic from her hands absently. Sara was standing statuesquely in front of the queen, her entire body tense. She paced robotically, her movements disjointed and restless. Tendrils of power lashed out in Dalmaria's direction, curling back to Sara impatiently.

"Patience, young one. We do not need to fight now."

"There's no reason to prolong it either." Like an elastic, Sara looked ready to snap at any moment.

"I forgot how eager you young ones are to fight those above you."

"Dalmaria, I'm _years _older than you."

"Ah, but in memory and action you are much, much younger. Calm yourself. I fight only with those who are composed enough to do it properly."

"I'll do it and _win _if you give me half a chance." Sara was shaking with the effort of containing herself and Dalmaria could see it. The queen suspected that she was no match for Sara's power when she was in such a state, and chose to prolong the confrontation as long as she could. If left alone long enough, Sara's power would tear her up from the inside out.

"No, I believe we should discuss our differences. Much more civilized."

"Dalmaria, I swear...if you don't get down of that chair of yours _right now_ I'll - "

"Sara." Jordan burst through the door and through Sara's still-standing magical defences, a guard close behind her.

"What is the meaning of this!" Dalmaria boomed, her voice commanding and dangerous.

"I apologize, Majesty." The guard dropped to one knee and bowed deeply. "I told her she couldn't come in, but..."

"But I did it anyways. Sara, I need you _right now._" Jordan ignored both Dalmaria and the guard, her eyes locked on Sara's tense form.

"I'm kind of...preoccupied."

"Forget about this little quarrel. You don't need the tension, and we have bigger problems."

"Alright, let's hear it." Sara let out a long breath and reigned in the tendrils of power weaving themselves around her.

"We were too big a group, or too overt. Somebody saw us, and they're coming _right _now. They were on the ridge about ten minutes ago, and moving quickly. Rhea's gone to intercept as many as she can, but we need you."

"Sorry Dalmaria, but we'll have to wait a while to settle our score." Sara grimaced at the queen one last time before she tore out the door, Jordan close behind.

-------

When they reached the thick of the battle, it was already in full swing. Grissom was fighting alongside Rain, the only other mage in attendance. Catherine was shielding Greg with a fierce pride that could be paralleled by no one. Warrick, running enemies through with his sword left and right, was moving twice the speed of everybody else, and doing it so gracefully he could have been dancing. Akona had been forgotten, but was holding his own impressively. He was conquering opponents at an impressive rate, sending magic streaming from both his hands. Violet, separate from the battle, was calling out instructions about their enemies' weaknesses and fears - facts she was picking straight out of their minds. Nick, picking up on these fears and weaknesses was, alongside Hazel, shifting into whatever form would best suit the circumstance. They were both executing perfect midair shifts, showing their long hours of practice and general prowess for the skill itself.

Shade and Rhea were the real anomalies. Shade was apart from the main battle as well, sitting against a tree trunk with one hand in a small bowl of water and another in a small fire made from twigs and brush. Whatever element she turned her attention to, she amplified. Rhea was flying above them all, half human, half demon. Until that point, Sara had all but forgotten that Rhea was half demon in nature and in genetics. She had a full demon body, but was the size she was in human form. Her hands and feet were human, but her fingers tapered off into sharp, hard claws that she was shearing demon flesh with. The occasional magical flash came from above, but the majority of her attack centred on physical power.

Fighting her way to the middle of the battle, Sara pressed herself against Grissom.

"Status?"

"There are quite a few of them." He replied, not looking at her. "They came all at once and overwhelmed us." A foot soldier rushed at him, and he spoke a few simple words with his hands outstretched.

Answering his voice, a magical glow blossomed from his hands in a deep, warm brown and regal navy. The two streams of colour wove together in midair, a strong glow emanating from them as they strengthened and barrelled towards the man. When the beam reached the warrior, it hit him hard and with the force of a battering ram. As he staggered backwards, the magic snaked around him to break his fall. The warriors struggled to break its hold as it wrapped around him in a tight embrace. With a colourful flash, he was gone; transported to another realm far away from the battle. It all happened in less than a second.

"We've got this, Sara." Rain said with a truly joyous smile. "Go do what you do best."

"Thanks, Rain." Sara flicked her wrist and a sword appeared in front of her. She grabbed it out of the air and pushed her way to where she was needed the most.

-------

The battle had stretched on for hours, but neither of the groups had gained any ground. Though the odds weren't even, Sara and her warriors were holding their ground. Even the members of her team, those who were more mortal than anything, had fully demonstrated their powers.

"They could finish us if they wanted to." Warrick said as Sara came up beside him.

"I'm sure they're trying something, but I don't know what." She murmured, as much to herself as to him.

"We're trying to get around them and behind so we can seal them in a cage-spell." He explained."Every time we try to cut through, they out-manoeuvre us. I can't tell if they have a mind-reader or not."

"Ask Violet. Mind readers can sense their own kind."

"She's too busy." He gestured up a tall sequoia, where Violet perched precariously at the top. "She's projecting into everyone's minds at the same time, and still reading the rebels'."

"Alright then," Sara growled briefly, rocking her weight to her back leg as she parried. Her blade stuck in the soft metal of his weapon, and her adversary smiled. Clearly, he had created his blade especially for this moment. With a quick flick of his free wrist, Warrick shot a spelled dagger at Sara's opponent, hitting his armour dead centre. The man disappeared in a blinding flash and Sara shot Warrick a grateful look.

"They've got a well developed plan." Warrick said, his eyes glued to the people still rushing at him.

"It's more intelligent than their previous ones by leaps and bounds."

"They seem to be coming towards us." He continued, crossing blades with person after person at an alarming rate.

"They want Sara." Dalmaria fought her way over to them efficiently, ducking quickly as Nick soared over her, an oversized bird of prey. "They're going to close you in - form a ring of people around you and take you."

"How do you know." Despite the warriors coming at her, she spared a moment to glare at the queen. "Even _we _don't know it, and we've been involved with them longer than you have."

"I was going to help them, Sara." Dalmaria admitted. "That's why I brought you here in the first place. We were going to ambush you, but then I remembered how much fun we have together, and I couldn't. So I told them not to come. It was my intention to protect you within my camp, but they've come anyways, and with many more warriors than I initially thought. We're outnumbered."

"Why?"

"Frankly, I was bored with your inaction."

"So you decided to kill me instead? Dalmaria, when did you become so..." Sara shook her head in disgust. "Be proud of yourself. You're managing to meet your objective."

"I'm sorry for bringing this upon you, Sara. I don't expect you to forgive me for any of this. The least I can do is fight with you until the end." She looked around the battle. "Call your people to the centre. We'll fight outwards and through their defences. Maybe you'll be able to run. We'll hold them back as long as we can."

"We've got nothing to lose." Warrick muttered in Sara's ear, quickly passing her to ward off a woman coming up behind.

"Our friendship is as good as over." Sara spat. She let her senses range out over the fight, lighting upon the warriors who were members of her group. She projected Dalmaria's message into their heads, and soon everybody was gathered in the centre, trying to force the rebels outwards.

With sick smiles on their faces, the rebels moved inwards, each bringing their weapons up in a smooth, choreographed motion. The faces of the opposing warriors each rested on the faces of Sara's people and Dalmaria's clan, choosing targets. Sara felt a sick air of wrongness settle upon her, and she instantly knew something wasn't right.

"Oh no." She whispered, her eyes darting around, madly trying to find an opening. There were no spaces between bodies, and the gazes of several rebels rested on her. With a tight sigh, she let every facade she had been using drop, opening the doors to stores of power she had forgotten about. As soon as her transformation was complete, she plunged headfirst into the line, slashing her sword in a half circle around her and ranging out with every magical power she could conjure.

The rebels were upon her and her people instantly. The bodies were so thick that she could no longer see. She felt around with her other senses, trying to orient herself. There was a strong magical repellent coming at her from multiple sides. She twisted her body sharply, ducking out of the way of a very strong repelling force. There was another similar force on her other side, but before she could move, there were cold shackles on her wrists. The smug warrior who had snapped them on was smiling down at her condescendingly. She narrowed her eyes and channelled her combined power, sending it shooting down to her wrists. Nothing happened.

Risking a glance downwards, her eyes took in the translucent orange-yellow of pure amber shackles. The only stone that could be made into restraints that would also ward off any magic, no matter how strong. With her hands tied and her magic bound, she was defenceless. Without her added leadership, support and power, her group slowly started losing ground. Despite their valiant efforts, they were all soon shackled much like she was.

The rebels conquered the warriors and the shape-shifters by pure force. With multiple adversaries upon them at once, Nick, Hazel and Warrick couldn't cover themselves and were bound. Five demons plucked Rhea straight out of the air and tied her, wings to still-mutant body. Jordan, Shade, Akona and Grissom were all overwhelmed and thrown to the ground, no care being given. Shade and Grissom both tried to fight their way out of the rebels' grasps, using both weapons and magic, but were rushed by more warriors until they were simply too outnumbered. Violet, the easiest to defeat - in theory - was simply bombarded with the thoughts of rebels. They sent thoughts at her in the same tone they would use when screaming, and she was surprised straight off her branch and out of the tree. From there, it was simply a matter of catching her and restraining her. In the confusion, Rain was simple collateral.

Sara pulled as hard as she could, trying to break the hold the shackles had on her. With her magic rendered useless by the pure amber they were made of, she was no stronger than a mortal, and no more powerful than one either. As she pulled, they could hear bones crack in her wrists. She stared at them for a quiet moment, dumfounded, before letting out a loud, piercing scream. It tore through the minds of everyone, warrior and rebel alike, with the exact tone of a saw cutting through metal. She lurched forwards, graceful even without the use of her hands, and tackled the rebel closest to her. She managed to shift into a soul-stealing-vampire hybrid midair - amber only dampened magic outside the body, not inside - and she sunk her teeth into the man as soon as she hit him.

Instantly, more rebels were upon her, their swords drawn. The blades were all glittering in a slightly purple light, having been dusted with amethyst. When absorbed into the bloodstream, it would eat away at Sara's power from the inside - the very thing keeping her alive - and kill her almost instantly. Sara turned to them, kneeling on the body of the man she had just inadvertently killed, and bared her teeth menacingly. A woman stood above Sara, a calm anger painting her expression, and brought her sword down in a smooth arc.

Before it had a chance to do more than graze Sara's skin, Jordan lunged forward and looped her cuffed hands over Sara's head, pulling her back by her neck. The rebel's sword cut into bare ground and she narrowed her eyes in Jordan's direction.

"Don't kill her," Jordan panted, her arms wrapped around Sara, acting as restraints. "She's done. She won't hurt you."

"If I get half the chance..." Sara coughed air back into her lungs and glared coldly at the assembly of rebels.

"Stop." Jordan's arms tightened, pressing the two women together as tightly as she was able. "They'll kill you."

"Not if I kill them first."

"She's done, I promise." Jordan snapped something into Sara's ear. Though it was in the guttural cadence of Ancient, it was clearly an order.

"Let them be." The lead rebel looked upon them without interest. "We will leave them to be dealt with by our leader."

"You're toeing the line, Sar." Jordan hissed in her friend's ear. Even in Jordan's strong grasp, Sara was still writhing, trying to find a way out. Deep, feral snarls were rolling out of her chest in an unbroken melody. In her mutated form, a combination of whatever she could pull to her mind at the moment of transformation, she looked un-natural and more frightening than even the rebels.

"We'll escape." Greg leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Calm down now, and we'll escape later. We did it once."

"She'll behave." Jordan looked down at Sara, her gaze both sympathetic and warning. "As of now, she has no other choice."

* * *

**A/N: Back in the clutches of their enemies. Like what we did? Don't like it?Please R&R.**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Sorry this took so long. It seemed to have a mind of its own.**

* * *

The rebels all but dragged Sara and her group through the forest. Comprised of mostly warriors, their adversaries were markedly faster than every one of them with the exception of Warrick and Sara herself.

Though their leader was not as feral as she had been immediately after they had been captured, she was still visibly angry. Out of the group of them, she was the only one bound at the ankles, knees, wrists and elbows, as well as gagged with a magically altered piece of canvas. Despite everything, she was putting forth a valiant attempt to glare them into submission.

"He will be pleased with us," One of their captors said to another, louder than need be. "Not only did we manage to capture_ all _of them, we've annoyed their leader and kept them all alive."

"A good day to be us," the man addressed nodded his agreement. "What do you suppose he'll do with them?"

"Save them for the Master, surely. It won't be long now."

"The Master will be pleased as well. Do you suppose we'll be honoured."

"Nobody will pass on the fact that _we _did all the dirty work," The first man said scathingly.

"You speak the truth." The second one rolled his eyes. "At the very least, we'll be in the good-books for a few days after this capture."

"I wouldn't count on that," A third man, much larger and more formally dressed, stepped in to block the path. The two men swore liberally when they saw this new arrival.

"Oboewitz, these are _ours._" The first man growled.

"You would do well to remember that it is _Captain_ Oboewitz, and that as a senior officer in this company, I hold the right to dismiss you from any task at any time."

_Military? _Warrick mouthed to Jordan. The brunette shook her head lightly.

_Organized. _She mouthed back.

"We've brought them this far, _Captain." _The second man put in, "They are ours."

"You two will _not _force my hand on this," The captain rested his hand casually on the hilt of the sword he had strapped to his side. If the hilt was any indication, it was a long, broad and heavy weapon.

"Oboewitz..." Another one of their captors was studying the captain with a warning in his gaze.

"You will stay your hand," Captain Oboewitz glared at the three opposing men. "You three will take over the guard rotation, the rest of you will accompany me. No arguments, or the Master _will _hear about this, and I assure you I will cast you in the least favourable light possible."

With a chorus of grumbles and complaints, the three defectors stalked off in another direction. The captain turned to Sara with a smile on his face. He walked up to her, ignoring her glare, and put his fingers on her cheek, removing the gag in a swift motion as he did. He ignored the fluent string of curses that flowed out of Sara's mouth.

"I've waited a long time for your capture." He sneered, thumbing one of the painted marks still ordaining her face. "I am surprised, however, that you leave these marks in respect to one who has forsaken you to such an extent."

"They are in no way a sign of respect to Dalmaria." She growled, magically charged tendrils whipping around her body inside the shackles that still contained her. "They are an homage to _my _heritage and to the clan _I _was born into so long ago."

"Yet you have remained un-ordained for years. I take it is not coincidence that has brought about this change?"

"It is purely a reflection of my power and my people."

"_Your _people?" He laughed, "If that is how you view them now, it will not remain fact for much longer. A greater power is rising."

"I am well aware of your plans against me, and I assure you that I will _not _stand for them."

"You have very little choice in the matter," the Captain gestured to the amber shackles with a hint of smugness. "You will be coming with me, yes?"

"As you said, it seems I have very little...choice," she cringed, "in the matter."

"Your intelligence is something I admire...albeit grudgingly." He caressed her cheek before releasing it. "Now, you and your band of misfits shall accompany me. A lesser man would not be able to escort you, yet I am worthy. Respect that, if nothing else."

"I respect those I deem worthy of my respect. You are not one."

"You speak so boldly for one in captivity. You would not fare so well had I not an agreeable nature."

"I do not tolerate hubris in my kingdoms, nor have I ever. You are overstepping your bounds in the face of the one true Ruler of these realms."

Declaring herself as the realms' one true Ruler was, she knew, a risk. An enormous risk that was almost not worth taking. The powers given to her by the realms themselves could, in theory, have eaten her alive had she spoken a blatant lie, but she remained standing. The Captain's eyes flashed dangerously at her self-spoken title, and he lunged towards her. Stopping only inches from her, he took her face roughly in his hands and forced her gaze into his. She did not attempt to look away, but allowed her eyes to address him in such a powerful fashion that words could never have been sufficient.

"There _is _one true Lord and Master, and I assure you that it is not, nor will it ever be, you." The Captain intended his voice to be low and dangerous; that much was apparent. However, it came out weak - the voice of a child in a man's body. As he pulled away, he looked furious for allowing himself to submit to the unspoken authority of Sara's gaze.

"Were you to offer me the opportunity, I believe I would surprise you."

"You will be given leave to do _nothing _of the sort. In fact," And this brought a smile to his face, "You will be given leave to do nothing at all, other than, if you are intelligent, throw yourself at the mercy of our governing body until our Master arrives."

"I will be doing nothing of the sort," Sara murmured. Whether she was addressing him or simply speaking to herself was another matter entirely.

"Then you are not as wise as I may have originally thought."

"Coming from a half-wit, that means very little."

"Hold your tongue," he growled. "I have been merciful to you thus far, but my good humour may not extend to impudent comments such as the one you just made."

"I apologize." She lowered her head in what could have been considered a bow and remained silent.

_Submission? _Warrick mouthed to Rhea. _Why?_

_Don't know. _Rhea mouthed back. _They are watching. _

And, when Warrick met they eyes of the rebels escorting him, he found that they were. From that point on, nobody said a word.

-------

The rebel camp was a textbook definition of organized chaos. There were tents erected haphazardly around a vast field, no rhyme or reason to their settlements. Scattered about the camp, possibly the centre of its action, were holes and passages into the ground. Some of them were no wider than a man was wide, and some could have accommodated a large truck had there been the need. Rebels milled around the passages, streaming in and out in lines and small groups. Some of the men and women leaving the underground carried rocks and buckets of dirt with them, but most carried nothing more than a strong air of disappointment.

"These are the prisoners?" A surprisingly short and willowy man stopped the Captain in his tracks. Their burly escort even bowed to this new, small arrival.

"Yes they are. Their leader is, as you can see, troublesome."

"I gathered as much by her excessive restraints."

"They were proven necessary."

"I don't doubt it for a second. You can see them to their holdings?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent. See that it is done promptly. I have heard stories of these ones. They have evaded capture before."

"Yes, sir."

"I commend you on your excellent capture, Oboewitz. They do not seem harmed."

"Shame, isn't it?"

"A slight one." The small man's mouth turned up in a smile. "Well done." He left as abruptly as he had come.

"And you're taking us..." Sara asked, not quite impudent yet not quite polite.

"You will be held in separate cells. Each individual holding is carved from solid amber and salted with pure amethyst. They are underground and therefore _elementally _strong. There is no possibility of an escape. You must know that."

"I'm familiar with the design," She said tensely. "Yet, I'll take this moment to remind you of my earlier statement."

"Which was?"

"If you gave me the chance, I would surprise you."

"You are not, I assume, suggesting that you have the ability to escape from those cells? That is, as we both know, impossible."

"That's not what I was suggesting."

With a smile on her face, Sara stopped dead in her tracks and stared the Captain straight in the eye. Every ounce of hate and malice she held for the man and his kind she poured into that expression. Though he did not flinch, Oboewitz wilted slightly under the heat of her powerful gaze.

"I was suggesting that I wouldn't be put in a cell at all."

With that, Sara opened her mouth and freed a single word. The word could never have been summed up into vowels and consonants, but rather needed to be allowed the freedom to flow out of a person of its own accord. As each syllable made itself known, the air cracked around it, charged with an unseen electricity. The final syllable escaped her body with a cadence that, though it had been tried after the fact, could not be replicated by the voices of any.

_Acaranora_

The word expanded, dominating the camp with its unseen presence, replacing the sounds of terror with echoes of its sound. Sara smiled once more at the Captain before she pulled her hands apart and broke the shackles. She shook the amber links off her limbs and spat on the ground above them. The patronizing look she awarded the Captain clearly chastised him for removing the gag. As the camp erupted in sounds of screaming and explosions, magically coloured sparks raining down from above, she smiled maliciously at the Captain. When she opened her mouth, he flinched, but no words of power escaped. The one word that did, however, made him writhe to such a degree that there seemed to be more of it than met the eye.

"Surprise."

* * *

**A/N: Surprise! Please R&R. We always like to know what you think.**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: I thoroughly enjoyed all the "Surprise!" responses I got in the reviews. It was fun. Thanks to everyone for reviewing!**

* * *

"Reckless, careless, stupid, risky," Rhea fumed, weaving around tree limbs as she paced. "You took everybody's lives in your hands, pulling what you did."

"And it worked." Sara looked content to be sitting on the ground despite the dressing down she was getting from her Ruling counterpart. "We're safe, aren't we?"

"Did you stop for a _moment _to think of what could have happened had you failed?"

"Maybe just for a moment." Sara shot the dark mage a playful grin that was met with an un-amused glare. "Oh calm down, will you? The point is that it worked."

"I fail to understand the motivations behind your actions. You could have _killed _us all."

"I knew I could free us all along. There was never any doubt in my mind."

"That's not what I meant and you know it. But, if you insist on speaking of the subject, why exactly _did _you wait to free us? In the heart of their camp, surrounded by rebels, is not the place I would have chosen."

"How else would we have gotten a good look at their camp?"

"Reconnaissance, espionage...anything but you we did. Risking yourself is something I could have understood, but risking everybody was unforgivable."

"Yeah, because they totally wouldn't have seen through my plan if I had gone alone." Sara rolled her eyes.

"Sara, you were careless. You treated our lives as if they meant nothing to you. What if you hadn't been able to break out of the shackles? What was your plan then?"

"That was never a factor."

"You can't have known that your power would be enough..."

"It wasn't power, Rhea. I wouldn't have left it to something so variable."

"Then what was it?"

"Please tell me that you're not so _far above _rudimentary skills that the answer escapes you?"

"Don't play games with me, Sara. I am _not _in the mood."

"I picked the lock, Rhea."

"What?"

"Lock picks. I _do _carry them, you know."

"How did you know you'd need them?" Rhea's eyes, boring into Sara, were endless pools of pure fire. They burned red and black, and flashed angrily with every footfall of her enraged pacing.

"I _always _carry them. No matter if I think I'll need them or not."

"Oh." Rhea looked embarrassed, but her expression quickly morphed back into anger. "Well, no matter. You _still _unleashed an extremely volatile magic without warning."

"Couldn't warn you without warning them. I have to take matters into my own hands at certain times. You understand that."

"I think Rhea's trying to say that she is...concerned about your lack of foresight." Grissom put in. "As she said, had you failed, it seems we would have all been consumed in _that_." Their gazes followed his to the barely visible magical sparks exploding at the rebels' camp.

"I was _in control._" Sara sighed heavily.

"Why don't you try explaining _what _you did. That would make me feel a little more comfortable, at least." Catherine's voice held the tension of a wire pulled tight. Ringing true to the Protector she was, it made painfully clear her unease at being surrounded by the presence of something she neither controlled nor understood.

"She spoke a word that could have very well torn her apart from the inside out." Jordan, unlike Rhea, didn't sound angry. In fact, the only thing that coloured her voice was concern.

"Sara?" Catherine's gaze turned to rest on Sara, joining those of the other warriors. "What exactly _was _it that you said?"

"It's an _Assanastra_. One of many."

"What is an...Atanasa?"

"_Assanastra._ They're words of power."

" The _Assanastras _have existed since the beginning of the realms," Rhea interrupted. "Some say that they are the words that brought these realms into being. Used in combinations, they are certainly powerful enough to do it."

"I'm powerful enough to wield them occasionally, and the one I used is not the most potent of them."

"It's not the tamest one either." Rhea added darkly.

"What does it mean?" Grissom asked.

"_Assanastras_ have no real translations..." Sara closed her eyes and mouthed a few words to herself, "the closest I can come is _begone_. No...that's too contained. _Destruction._" She nodded and sighed. "It means destruction."

"So, you say it and it can destroy anything?" Warrick's eyes lit up at the prospect, the warrior in him rejoicing.

"I won't be using them daily, so don't even ask. They are _primal_. The most primal form of magic I know, and I don't take to using it lightly. Yes, the one I used could destroy everything, and yes, it could destroy me, but it didn't. That doesn't mean I'll be using it more than I have to, and in my mind, I will _never _have to again."

"What if they win?"

"We won't let them."

"What was the one you used?"

"Destruction. I said that."

"No, I mean what was the actual word you spoke?"

"Don't even _think _of using one. It would eat you alive." Sara's firm gaze burned into Warrick with such an intensity that he had to look away, lest he be consumed by it completely.

"I'm not. I was just thinking that if we knew, maybe if the rebels tried to use one, we would have a better chance of doing something."

"He has a point," Rhea said with a shrug.

"I guess," Sara sighed. "I said _Acaranora_," As they waited for the explosion that never came, they realized that in flattening the 'r's of the word, it changed the nature completely. Without the specific cadence that made it magical, it was simply another group of letters.

"We do have _other _problems, if you remember." Violet reminded them, "The rebel leader's thoughts are _murderous. _He's out for your blood now, Sara."

"As if he wasn't already," She rolled her eyes, but she looked tired and seemed to have aged years in the past months.

"Sarcasm duly noted." The mind-reader met Sara's eye roll with one of her own. "But honestly, now that they know we're in the area, we need a plan and we need it _now_."

"I have a plan. I'm in the process of getting what we need, but for now we need to get to where we can pick it up."

"I don't understand." Catherine said cautiously.

"You're not meant to understand. This is one of those times where you'll need to follow me without question."

"That's suicide, Sara." Rhea said. She had an idea of what Sara was planning, a product of spending so much time around the other Ruler and also of having the same general view concerning leading a group. Unlike Sara, however, Rhea was of the school of thought that said including everybody was central to success.

"No, Rhea, that's _trust_. I don't need all of you with me, but I do need some." She walked a big circle around their motionless group, eyeing each one of them with a mixture of discontent and pleading in her eyes. " Everything we do from this point will require absolute trust in one another. If you can't promise me that, then this is _not _the right mission for you. I need all of you _on my side_. You can't be on the fence and you can't waver for a second. That momentary lapse could kill us all."

Sara walked over to Jordan and placed both her hands on her friend's shoulders. "She and I have gone through almost everything together. As a _team_. Not two separate entities working together, but as _one_. That requires absolute faith in the one another. No, it isn't easy to obtain that trust, nor is it easy to retain it in times of stress, but that is what being a successful team _takes._"

Rhea's gaze swept over Sara, watching with a critical eye as she placed a fleeting hand on the backs and shoulders of each warrior watching her. "The rest of you I have known for a short time. Even those who I work with both in the mortal realms and these ones have not yet gifted me with the trust we need to survive. I know I'm asking a lot of you in a very short time, but if you want us to win, you'll have to overlook your misgivings about me and just _listen_."

"How do we know?" Greg asked, surprising them all. "How do we know that we can trust you? Have you proven it? _Can _you? So far, you've lead us into battle after battle and left us alone for long periods of time, or lead us half out of your mind. How do you expect us all to place our lives in your hands after all that?"

"Because I've come back." Sara replied fervently, "Because I haven't left you alone _forever_. Because when it really mattered, I was there. Because we _won _all those battles under my guidance and with my assistance. I don't expect you to like me, because I haven't necessarily been likable. All I ask from you is to know deep in your hearts that I will not let you die for nothing. I've tried my best to train you and prepare you despite everything that's been thrown at us, and I really hope we'll _all _make it out of this alive." She held up a hand to defer a comment from a warrior and talked through his fidgeting. "I know that my hope is futile since everybody dies eventually, but I'm trying to tell you that I don't _intend_ to lead you to your deaths."

"I think I speak for us all when I say this is not a decision we will make lightly," Grissom said. "As Greg pointed out, you haven't been a constant leader."

"I know that and I completely understand. I'm not the best leader by any means, and I'm certainly not going to be able to protect you all even if you _do _all trust me. I've lost people before and it lies heavily on my heart. Despite that, I know that I will have to add more than one of you to the list of people I've let down, but that's no reason not to allow me to _try_ to make this worth it."

A long silence followed. It wasn't a silence, really, since the sounds of the forest and the echoing cries from the rebel camp surrounded them, but nobody in the group was speaking. They were all frozen in place, all looking anywhere but at Sara or each other. She watched them silently, her more than perfect vision picking up the emotions flitting across their faces. Doubt took center stage on each one of them, as did mistrust. There was very little else. Even Jordan, Sara's example of complete trust, was showing signs of misgivings. In her heart, Sara knew that at least one or two of them would be with her, but she knew that for every _one _there would be many who would choose to leave her and go back to their lives. In the slightly medieval society they lived in, the assurances were with what they knew - families, friends, jobs - not with a slightly inconstant leader promising them the world if they didn't die. She just wasn't making a strong enough argument.

"We need time," Rhea finally said, including every one of them in her blanket statement. "Time to think, to process."

"Time isn't something we have an awful lot of."

"I know that. We all know that. But this isn't as black and white as you'd like it to be. We need time."

"I'll give you as long as I can. We'll keep moving. You can all think."

"Thank you."

"It's the least I can do," She sighed heavily "to be the leader you all deserve."

-------

The fact that Catherine was considering a double homicide as "better times" reflected how the day was turning out. Though it was a grisly thought, she couldn't help but think back to when things were simple. Where bad and good were easily discernible and easily punishable. There was no need for absolute trust and no need for long trips through forests to save the world.

At the same time, she reflected on the fact that without the exposure of her power and this new world, she would have died without really _living. _The past months had been tense and filled with hardship, and Catherine missed her daughter desperately, but she could not deny that she had been _alive _. That she had experienced things that were both too beautiful and grotesque to fit into the normal realms of human possibility, but coloured her life so it was vibrant and new.

Ever since that first day where she had opened her eyes and seen a strange new world, she had never had a choice about what she did and didn't do. Sara had taught her, Sara had housed her and fed her, Sara had protected her, and Sara had told her what to do. Catherine was used to following orders. That was all she ever did back in the mortal realms - all _any _mortal did. Follow the orders of superiors, follow the orders of clients, follow the orders of parents, follow the orders of the government. They were contained in an invisible cage that was only apparent when its boundaries were tested.

Now, she had a choice.

She could choose to go back to her peaceful life where her restraints didn't chafe and where her cage was non-existent as long as she remained oblivious to it, or she could choose to give her trust to Sara. To put her life in the hands of somebody, she had discovered, she barely knew; to risk her life to save a land that she spent very little time in and knew very little about; to live somewhere where boundaries were so vast that they practically didn't exist at all and where actions spoke infinitely louder than words.

She wasn't used to double-edged swords.

Looking around discreetly, she knew that everybody felt very much the same way. Whether they were mortal with the same dilemma as her, or whether they were magical with a different agenda entirely, they were all fighting with the sudden appearance of choice. Sara was the only one who looked even mildly certain. She had a steely expression on her face - that of complete and utter confidence in what she was doing. Catherine knew that her colleague's mind was made up. No matter what arguments were made, Sara would stay and fight for the kingdoms she loved whether she was doing it alone or not. It was commendable - that, she could not deny - but was it enough? Enough to make a whole group of people give up what they knew for her?

Catherine didn't know. What she did know, however, was how to be blissfully ignorant while still painfully aware. So, for the time being, she chose that.

As did they all.

* * *

**A/N: As my co-author said: "H-E-A-V-Y!". Who here would choose to stay? Please R&R!!**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Thanks to every review that was gifted to the last chapter. This one's a little longer as a consolation for the sweet time I took in writing it. **

* * *

The hut in front of them was small and shabby. Its walls looked to have been slapped together carelessly and its roof was sagging with age and decay. All but one of the windows were boarded up, and the one that wasn't had a large crack running down the centre. Wooden shingles littered the ground around them, unruly grass and weeds growing around them , creating shelter for a number of small animals who ran between their legs as they walked towards the sad little building.

"I thought you said we needed to be _cautious _when we're this close to the rebels." Catherine said, casting a critical eye on the shack. "This doesn't look like caution."

"I agree with Catherine," Warrick said. "These grasses alone could conceal no small amount of danger, and the building itself looks suspect."

"Everything we do from this point on is going to be dangerous," Sara said, weaving around piles of rusted metal that littered the yard. "You all have the chance to bow out of any certain task and I won't hold it against you. Risking your lives is your choice."

"I wasn't considering diverting, but for the good of the group, I say we leave this place."

"Duly noted, but I need this."

"Need what?" Jordan asked, following Sara apprehensively, as close as a shadow.

"This." Sara said simply, waving a hand in dismissal.

"What _is _this?" Rhea's expression made clear her distaste for the situation.

"_You _don't know?" Greg's face was incredulous. "But you know everything."

"You flatter me," Rhea awarded him a wry smile. "I've never been here before in my life. It's a dump."

"Rhea," Sara warned, "remember the little talk we had about disrespect?"

"Why don't you remind me of it in the nicest possible way," the dark mage rolled her eyes. "It's not like there's anybody around who cares."

"I care."

"Yeah, but you're...you."

"Thanks. So much." Sara stepped over the last of the trash in the yard and knocked firmly on the door. The ancient, rotten wood creaked for a moment before separating from the hinges and crashing against the floor.

"Oops." Sara stuck her head through the threshold and looked around. "Hello?"

The instant the words left her mouth, a heavy wooden sword hilt appeared from the shadows inside the building and met Sara's head with an audible crack. As she recoiled, swearing fluently in every tongue she knew, a dirty, dishevelled figure flipped the weapon around and levelled the blade, the tip resting on Sara's throat.

"Take one more step and I use the business end of this thing. Got that?" The house's owner was a woman, her dark hair threaded with streaks of auburn, black and golden brown. She was dressed in sweatpants two sizes too big for her and a t-shirt of the same sizing. Despite her wholly mortal appearance, her defensive stance was flawless and the heavy sword she was holding didn't waver an inch.

"Okay, _ow_. That _hurt._" Sara growled, pressing a hand to the side of her head and cursing the woman before them as the hand came back sticky and bright red.

"Ohmygod. I am _so _sorry." A flash of recognition sparked in the woman's eyes and she dropped the point of her blade. "I didn't know it was...you didn't need to kick down my door. I would have answered."

"It fell."

"Piece of crap." The woman kicked the door with a look of extreme distaste and invited them inside. The interior of the shack was in no better condition than the outside, all the furniture made of horrendous quality wood.

As they all crowded into the room, they cast wary eyes on the new woman. She paid them no attention, still intently apologizing to Sara, but somehow they knew she was aware of them. The air about her made it impossible for her to seem ignorant. Strength and ability radiated from her, pulsing outwards in almost visible waves.

The house was small even for one person and accommodated the group poorly. Violet brushed up against a large, cylindrical cast iron object on four legs. She yelped as her hand rested on it and sidestepped into Rain.

"Hey!"

"Sorry!" Violet looked at the blistered skin on her hand. "What was _that_?"

"It's called a wood stove and it tends to get hot," the woman said, leaning carefully against the wall. "Don't you know that?"

"Sorry if I'm not well versed on satanic mortal technology."

"Satanic?" The woman snorted a laugh and turned to Sara. "She's something else."

"I don't blame her. _I _haven't seen a wood stove in years." Their leader smiled warmly at the woman. "Speaking of fire...I need some."

"Some fire?"

"Some fire_power_."

"And you don't have enough?" The woman's eyes raked critically over Sara's warriors.

"I need something they're not expecting. _Nobody _ever expects you."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding." Sara matched the woman's raised eyebrow with one of her own.

"Does it have to be today?"

"Do you _know _what's going on?"

"Yes, but I'm _tired_. And I have a headache."

"Want some cheese with that whine?" Sara rolled her eyes. "Just take a Tylenol and help me."

"If that's the attitude you're going to have..."

"Shaie, I'm warning you..."

"Wait." Rhea held a hand up between Shaie and Sara. "_You're _Shaie?"

"That's my name."

"But..._the_ Shaie? The mortal warrior?"

"Unfortunately."

"But...but you're _legendary_!"

"Again, unfortunately. You didn't seem to hold me in such high esteems when you were dissing my house."

"I didn't...I thought you had...mortal hearing."

"You weren't speaking quietly." Shaie replied dryly.

"Regardless," Sara shot Rhea a dirty look, "we need you."

"Regardless, I don't want to help. And," She held up a hand to stop Sara's protests, "don't give me some line about how I just need to help for, like, _one _second and then I can go do whatever I want, because I _know _how many people die in your service."

"You won't."

"Au contraire, I'd be _more _likely to. I'm mortal, you know."

"Come on, Shaie."

"As compelling as that argument is...the answer is still the same old negative."

"Would you like me to remind you of the fact that you still owe me?"

"You're going to cash in a poker win with _this_!"

"I was alluding to the whole I-saved-your-life-that-one-time thing, but if you'd rather go with poker win..."

"I forgot how annoying you are."

"I'm going to go right ahead and ignore that. Get ready. We leave in twenty."

"_Leave_?"

"We're not safe here, Shaie." Sara's voice instantly lost all semblance of humour. "It's too open and has _no _protection whatsoever. We've got to move."

"We fighting them right away?"

"Almost. Final training comes first. We'll take them Wednesday at dusk."

"You're setting a _two day_ timeframe? It'll take one to get there."

"That gives us a couple of hours to sleep, a couple to train and a couple more to rest."

"That's tight, Sara." Warrick said, his tone as incredulous and full of disbelief as Shaie's.

"We need tight. They'll be expecting a long wait, and now they know about the _Assanastras_ and my power to wield them. They won't expect us back so soon and they won't expect Shaie. We need the advantage."

"Is it worth possibly sacrificing our lives?" Grissom asked with an uncharacteristic edge.

"This is all I have left by the way of strategy. Look at us," She waved a hand in a rough half-circle, including Shaie in her unspoken tally of warriors who were still with her. Including Sara, there were only fourteen of them - Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Greg, Violet, Rain, Shade, Hazel, Akona, Jordan, Rhea and Shaie. Sara privately squirmed at the thought that, out of the few warriors she had left, three of them would not be useful in an offensive position.

"I need to change, Sara." Shaie interrupted. "Get out of my house. We'll talk on the move."

"Fix your door." Sara kicked the obtrusive slab of wood as she left. "Otherwise my leaving will mean nothing."

Shaie pointed to the front yard through the gaping hole where the door should have been. She captured everybody with a single, firm gaze and made a shooing motion with one hand. "Out."

-------

True to Shaie's word, the trip to the rebels' territory took a day in its entirety. They were on an open patch of shale, surrounded by small shrubs whose growth was stunted by the unwieldy soil surrounding the rock. They had all had a chance to sleep for a few hours and did, now used to sleeping on uncomfortable surfaces for short periods of time. The sun had woken them early, but despite the hour, Sara had wasted no time in starting training. She called this the "final preparation" stage before the battle. Though she didn't say it plainly, everybody knew it as the last resort tactic before the end of everything. Such thoughts brought the group's morale down visibly. Sara had started the day by dividing them into groups, separated into those who needed immediate training in the more basic offensive and defensive manoeuvres, those whose skills needed perfecting and those who could learn new tactics quickly and with ease. Shade was in a group all on her own since her primary weapon was her physical rapport with the land. She had charged herself with practicing swordplay in the event that she would need it. Hazel and Nick were working together, sharing tactics with one another and practicing the skills they already possessed. Grissom, Violet, Akona, Jordan and Rhea were working in much the same way, teaching one another what needed to be taught and working in harmony. Greg, Rain and Catherine were also in a group, working on their speed and effectiveness while healing, and Catherine's ability to cover both healers at once. Shaie had, for a reason known to only her and Sara, insisted on separating herself from the group and heading off on her own.

The last two members of the group, Warrick and Sara, were working together. Sara had deemed Warrick a good enough warrior to learn a new skill in the short time they had. She had explained that while they could have worked on the skills he already had, this new one would serve him well in battle. It encompassed the swordplay skills he had already perfected and the strength his warrior powers gave him.

"This," She said, "is called a Khopesh." She handed him a slim metal weapon with a straight handle leading to a curved, sickle shaped blade. The handle, though nearly indiscernible from the blade, had rounded edges where the blade's were razor sharp. "If you use it correctly, you can behead a man in a single strike."

"Where'd you get this?" Warrick weighed the blade in his hand and swung it in front of him experimentally. It cut through the air smoothly with the illusion of splitting the very atoms that made it up. He whistled appreciatively. "Nice."

"Ancient Egyptian. Went out of use around...1300 BCE I think. I always forget the origins of these things." She laughed briefly as she manoeuvred her blade. The audible swish as it swooped through the air put a wicked smile on her face. "Don't know why we stopped using them. They weight next to nothing and wield like a dream come true."

"You sure you weren't alive in Ancient Egypt?" Warrick joked.

"No, but my grandmother visited. I remember my mother telling me before she died. She's the one who taught me how to use a Khopesh."

"Is it hard?"

"I think you'll be able to handle it." She threw the weapon in the air and caught it by the inside edge of the c-shaped blade. "They are usually only sharpened on the outside edge of the curve, so that's where you want to keep your hand away from." She ran her finger lightly over the sharpened edge, so softly that her skin was barely touching the metal. A line of blood welled up regardless. "Ours are sharpened to the finest point I could manage. If you're caught in close quarters, grab it by the inside edge, like I am, and use it that way. The best way to use it, though, is by holding the handle, "she threw it in the air and caught it by the handle, "and use the outside edge."

"And don't," she added, seeing the glint of his eyes as he watched her, "try tossing it around to change hand placement. In a battle, you could lose it very easily unless you're completely sure of yourself and you could just as easily harm yourself if you catch the edge of the blade. I've been trained and I've practiced for centuries. Don't try what I try."

"Understood." Warrick's eyes were still glued to his new weapon. His arm was moving subtly up and down, measuring the insubstantial weight of the Khopesh. His blade was brand new, and the metal shone in the weak light, throwing off fragile spears of light. Though Sara's blade was older and worn, its lustre lost in the sands of time, she smiled fondly at it, remembering the day when it became hers.

"Ready to try it out?"

"Absolutely." His eyes shone with anticipation and excitement. "Go."

"You don't want preliminary training? You just want to get right into it?"

"Sounds enough like swordplay. I can handle it."

"Your funeral," Sara shrugged. "Call it."

"Go." Warrick surged forwards at the advanced speed that was common for warriors, the sharp, curved edge of his blade aimed at Sara's neck with a deadly precision. Confident in his ability, he flew at Sara, letting the razor edge slice through the air as it came nearer and nearer to her face.

Sara's expression was a mask of quiet confidence, but showed no fear despite the quickly approaching blade that, as she had said, could separate her from her head in one clean stroke. She swung her blade casually from the handle like a pendulum, waiting until he was less than a foot from her to swing it into ready position. She held the handle firmly but softly and swung it directly into the path of Warrick's weapon.

Though he was stronger than she was and capable of greater brute force, Sara was more experienced. Using the curved top of her weapon, she hooked her inside edge around Warrick's blade and wrenched it out of his hands. He didn't have a chance to even blink before he felt the cold bite of metal against his skin.

"Flexibility works well with this weapon. Strength will serve you nicely, but tactics will win it for you."

"Flexibility? Are you saying that being able to touch my toes to my head will help me beat somebody with this thing?" He stepped back from the blade.

"I'm saying that it's an elegant weapon and a very _light _weapon. If you can confuse them enough with your movements, the blade will follow you."

"All you did was disarm me. There was no confusion involved."

"Oh, I know that. I wanted to see if I still could."

"I'm a guinea pig to your own personal experiments?"

"No, nothing like that. When I was a child - and I mean _child_; I was tiny - that was my move of choice. I wanted to make sure I still had the speed and precision that it takes."

"Like you'll need anything other than magic." Warrick rolled his eyes, but Sara's expression hardened.

"Everybody needs something other than magic." she snapped, her eyes spitting fire. "Every student learns how to defend themselves without it before they learn to defend themselves with it. If you bothered to find out more about this world, you'd know that already."

"Sorry, sorry." He held up his hands in surrender, nullifying the gesture somewhat with the blade wickedly glinting in one hand.

They fought in silence for a while, the only sound coming from the blades as they crossed. True to Sara's word, Warrick was picking up the secrets to wielding the Khopesh rather quickly. He had already erased Sara's easy smile from her face, the one she wore when she knew a win would be unavoidable. It had been replaced with a wicked grin that suited her much better, one that he had seen only once or twice on her face, which meant she was being tested. He had not yet reached the skill level that erased her smile altogether and replaced it with a sorely frustrated expression that meant she could lose. He had never seen her with the knowledge that a loss was imminent, and hoped he never would.

As she disarmed him swiftly, using the handle of her blade to physically force his from his hands, he held up one hand for a break. Sara was barely breathing heavily, but allowed the break for the time being. She resumed swinging the blade from her hand, smiling at him in good humour.

"That was fun."

"Fun?" Warrick almost glared at her before he remembered how out of turn it would be. "That was _hard."_

"You're picking it up quickly. It's only been," she looked up at the sun for a moment, "an hour, after all. I'm going to go check on everybody else's progress and when I come back, we'll go again."

"I'll be ready."

"You'd better be, or you might lose your head." She winked at him before disappearing.

-------

When Sara returned, she swung her blade into ready position and nodded for Warrick to do the same. Despite the way she fought efficiently and purposefully, he sensed that she was running on auto-pilot. His suspicions were confirmed when she let him disarm her without as much as a swing in defence.

"Something wrong?" He asked, halting the match with a raised hand. "Did somebody get hurt?"

"Let's just say they're not making as much progress as you are." She replied absently, seeming not to notice her sigh.

"Are all of them really doing that badly?"

"No, not all. Greg and Catherine are making progress, though Rain's being a bit obtuse; and Hazel has been making excellent progress with Nick,"

"Can we wait another day before attacking?"

"Not if we want the element of surprise."

"Will a day really make that much of a difference?"

"More than you can imagine." She motioned for him to start fighting again and he complied.

"What I meant was…will the element of surprise be worth enough to go in unprepared."

"It'll have to be." She expertly deflected his downward slice and backed up one step. "I can't risk another day of intensive training. It would drain most of us beyond the reasonable levels."

"But not you." It wasn't a question.

"No. Not me. Never me."

"So why can't you do something offensive today and then we all go again tomorrow?"

"We'd be on the defensive."

"Yes." Warrick, operating in the warrior's timeframe, jumped out of the way of the Sara's razor sharp blade. "Is that a problem?"

"You never fight to stave of a defeat. You always fight to win. Our only advantage is on the offensive front."

"I disagree."

"I don't care." Though her words were meant to sound flippant, there was an edge to them that she couldn't hide.

"I think we should wait."

"I didn't ask you." She moved towards him quickly, attacking with a renewed urgency.

"I know that. I think you're ignoring one side of the issue."

"That's precious, but I'm the Leader here, and my word is law."

"I suggest a non-confidence vote."

"I overrule it. You lose." She threw him to the ground with a high kick to the chest and held her blade at his neck.

"Sara, you're not being objective."

"I don't need to be."

"A warrior's position is at his leader's right hand." Warrick quoted Sara's teaching, levering himself off the ground without the help she didn't offer. "You need to listen to me."

"I don't. Stop questioning me. I've made my decision."

"Your decision is going to kill us all," he said, fixing her with a firm glare.

"Listen," In an instant, her hand was around his neck, dangling him as far above the ground as her height would allow. The blade of her Khopesh was directly below her hand, her skin kissing the blade. Only with the cold bite of the metal against his neck did he realize how sharp the cutting edge actually was. The barely firm contact with his skin was already drawing blood, and she knew it.

"_Never_ question me." She continued, "I do what I do for a reason that only I need to know. I am _not _a person you want to pick a fight with. Unless, that is, it's a fight you're prepared to lose in a _very big way_." To reinforce her point, she pushed the blade against his neck a hair more. He squirmed in her deceptively strong grasp and tried to breathe.

"I could kill you." She brought him to her eye level, his feet on the ground, but kept her grip on his neck. Her voice was no more than a sinister whisper, but for the effect her words had, she could have been screaming them. "I could kill you right now in a hundred different ways and tell everybody you chose to leave us. They would believe me instantly and I would hide your body so well that it would never be found. I would outlive everybody in our group, forever insisting that you defected, and feel no remorse about it. I am _barely _stifling a nature that would allow me to do all that and more and it would be a welcome _treat _to concede to those desires to rid the world of you once and for all. Remember that next time you decide that I'm not doing what's right for the group." With a vicious strength, she threw him to the ground and watched as he gasped for air, shooting poison daggers with her furious glare.

"Are we clear?" She asked, arching one eyebrow. He could only manage to nod.

"Good." With a smile tainted by evil, she looked to the forest that hid the rest of their group and yelled, "Come back in for a rest. We move out at dusk."

* * *

**A/N: Just a reminder: Shade is the elementalist that swore her fealty to Sara along with Hazel, the shapeshifter. Shaie, on the other hand, is the mortal warrior who just showed up. Though their names are scarily similar (a fact I only just realized) they're two different people. Sorry if it's confusing. I would have changed it, but by now, Shade couldn't be anything other than Shade and Shaie couldn't have had another name either. Please review!**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Thanks to LittleSpooky and Mysil for reviewing chapter 35. I warn you that this, 36, is almost the end of RTN. I'm anticipating one or two more chapters, then it's going to be over. Sadly. But, good news, the threequel, which has no name yet, is already three chapters and growing. Any suggestions for a threequel name? Go ahead, be creative. If I choose a suggested name, the winner gets **MAJOR** spoilers (only if they want them).**

* * *

Sara walked back and forth on the shale outcropping, keeping her body between her warriors and the rebel camp. She watched them with a careful scrutiny as they prepared for the oncoming battle, missing nothing and ignoring very little. The entire group needed to be on the same page more than ever. Things that she had let slide in previous battles were not condonable during this one. No matter how much she resented being relied upon to be a strong, fearless leader, she knew that she had to be. There was no turning back now. No chance to reject the title and the responsibilities that came with it. No chance to dump the group on Rhea without getting everybody killed in the process. Sara was all in now - betting all or nothing with thirtee lives that weren't hers. Had it been only her neck on the line, she knew that she would have finished the fight months ago. Her life wasn't worth thousands of hours of training because it was simply not valuable enough to her and almost impossible to end, besides.

The mages of the group, needing no preparation for battle, were clustered at one end of the invisible line Sara was pacing. Each time she passed them, she dissected them all with her gaze. She felt terrible inspecting them to such a degree so frequently, but her trust was still skewed and it rested with very few of them, despite everything they had been through together. Everybody who needed weapons or supplies was working fervently in the camp, the whole scene a textbook example of organized chaos. Warriors were scattered through shape-shifters, all yelling to one-another over or through somebody else. Though there were so few of them, they still created an unparalleled noise level that, had it not been masked, would have alerted the rebels to their location.

"It's almost time." Jordan followed Sara step for step as she paced across the shale. "Think they'll be ready in time?"

"Maybe. Hopefully." Sara didn't look hopeful.

"You're worried."

"You're not?"

"I didn't say that."

"Jordan, I don't need you in my head right now."

"Sorry." Jordan crossed her arms over her chest and looked out over the preparations. When she spoke again, her voice was quiet and fragile. "This could all be gone tomorrow. The trees, the rocks, the sky, the clouds..."

"If we fail." Sara finished her friend's sentence in a whisper. "I know."

The setting sun silhouetted the two women against a fiery sky as Jordan wrapped an arm around Sara, and Sara wrapped an arm around Jordan. Sara's eyes swept over her group, but none of them lit a fire in her heart that willed her to fight like Jordan did. Sara looked to Grissom, the man she had loved forever, and to Akona, the man she had only just met but still didn't want to see destroyed. She looked to Catherine, Warrick, Nick and Greg, and knew that she may very well have to return to the mortal realms without them. She looked over all her magical allies - Violet, Rain, Shade, Hazel and Rhea - and knew that if there was ever another battle, she might be forced to fight without them. But, looking to her very _best _friend, she knew that there was only one person she would fight to protect.

Jordan's blue-grey eyes, so familiar that Sara could have picked them from a line-up, were obstructed by the dark chestnut hair that hung past her shoulders, curling softly and naturally, dancing gently in the wind. The colour put Sara in mind of her own hair growing from the head that encased the brain that Jordan had saved many, many times before. It was Jordan, and only Jordan, who had been there when nobody else was - when Sara had been deserted by everybody she had ever known or loved. Despite everything Sara had ever done to her - every bad thing she had ever said or done - Jordan was still here, standing at Sara's side, the two of them drawn together on an equal footing, no rank separating them. Sara could recall every hateful thing she had ever done to Jordan in perfect detail - every word she had thrown at Jordan with the intention to hurt her, every fight they had had where Sara had the upper hand, every secret Sara had revealed that wasn't hers to control. She could remember every time Jordan had flinched at Sara's words, every time she had left the room before she could say something hurtful back, every time she had been reduced to tears at the hand of the person who was supposed to be her best friend.

Despite all that, though - despite every wrong Sara had ever done - she was still standing here, her arm around Sara's shoulders, watching, waiting for the battle that was to come. No matter what happened, no matter who she had to sacrifice to do it, Sara swore that she would protect her best friend. She swore it to the goddesses who had taken her as theirs, to the memory of her ancestors, to the setting sun that lit the sky on fire and, most importantly, to the very essence that made her who she was. Now, everybody who mattered knew her goals. Now, her mind's eye could picture her will to win the battle and save the realms as a human form - a person striding along a beaten path. But now, right beside her battle aims, a smaller goal strode along. A small, child-sized goal with an innocent face and two familiar hands holding everything together.

* * *

"Tonight," Sara said, "History will be made. We are not all entirely magical, but we are equally not all entirely mortal. It is our diversity and our acceptance of _both _worlds that makes us strong - makes us _who we are_ - and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sara was standing on a boulder with her warriors surrounding her. Every great leader she had ever heard of had given a rallying speech before a battle, but she didn't see _how_. The sun painted the horizon a bright, bloody red as it slowly disappeared, bathing her warriors in an eerie red light. Sara could imagine that, in a few hours, they would all still be red from head to toe, but not at the hand of the sun. She was shaking violently before them - so much that she had to weave herself a glamour to hide her terror - hoping that her morbid thoughts stayed safely in her head.

"In the absence of light, darkness reigns, and _we _are the only aspect of light left that is willing to fight. We are fourteen people - _the _fourteen people - who will write the future of these lands. This does not have to be your battle. I am bound to it in a way you are not, and I will not hold any desertions against you."

Shaie, who had only been with them for less than two days, took the opportunity to slip out. She cast an apologetic glance up at Sara, mouthing the words _Too young to die _as she ran through the forest and back to her safe haven of a home. Sara swallowed back a wave of emotion and turned her full attention to her remaining warriors, all of whom had stayed.

"We are _thirteen_ very important people this evening. No matter who you once were, you are them no longer. You are now one of the dozen people who have chosen to stand by my side to face what may be the end of the world as we know it. Your jobs no longer define you, your power no longer makes you one thing or another, because tonight, you become the Future. Your choices will govern these realms in a fashion that has never previously existed. You will, tonight, by your own hands, seal the future of these realms.

" Fate has defined our world for centuries, has shaken and has rendered us powerless. It has brought us prosperity, but also poverty. Happiness as well as sadness. Light as well as dark. Where nothing exists, everything cannot, and, similarly, in the absence of everything, nothing cannot be defined and, therefore, cannot exist. In the absence of one, another shows itself. These relationships define us, and have defined us for as long as we have existed, but tonight, for as long as this battle rages on, that will change. _History _will change. _Definition _will change. Because, in the absence of fate, a flower blooms by the name of Choice. The Choice between light and dark, between failure and victory, between life and death. This Choice is awarded to very few. Specifically, it is awarded to thirteen people. Thirteen people of varying backgrounds with various talents, but thirteen people who have made it their _mission_ to take the full weight of that Choice on their shoulders and bear the burden until our battle ends and fate can be restored."

Sara paused then, looking over the small crowd, searching for words to describe what they meant to her. How much it meant that they would stay and fight, that they would bear the burden of Choice alongside her. She felt pride swell in her chest until it spilled over on to her heart and her essence, turning a once black-and-white picture into a beautiful masterpiece in the most vivid, glorious colours she could never imagine. With tears sliding down her face underneath the glamour that hid her fear, she stepped down from the boulder and took her place at the front of the group. She couldn't bring herself to face them, for she knew if she did, everything she was trying so hard to hold in place would dissolve and free itself in a mess of tears and emotion.

"I want to see everybody leave this battle _alive_, understand?" Her voice broke along with her flimsy glamour and every pretence of calm shattered. Her group - her _friends_, she realized - stood silently. Her hope soared skyward as she realized that the glamour must still be in place, but a hand on her shoulder told her otherwise. They could all see through the glamour that wasn't there, and now that there was no hiding her sheer terror at the thought of the battle - _her_, the most seasoned, powerful fighter they had - she knew they would all leave. When the all-powerful Sarayelle Alkina had no hope, how could they? She closed her eyes and waited for them to leave and focused on the steady hand on her shoulder, the only thing that remained to accompany her into battle, the best friend she had sworn to protect.

But she was wrong.

When she turned to face her one and only ally, the owner of the hand on her shoulder, she almost collapsed. Jordan was nowhere in sight, but everybody else was. Rhea was standing to Sara's left, in the traditional spot of a second-in-command. Her friends - _all _of her friends, of both magical and mortal origin - were fanned out behind Rhea, organized perfectly in order of rank and power. In front of her, a solid, steady presence, was Violet, the mind-reader she had never trusted. Seeing that the one person Sara trusted the least had taken the place of the person she trusted the _most_ made Sara's knees buckle.

"Wh..." She couldn't form a single word with her trembling voice. Violet's eyes were soft and shiny, full of tears she hadn't shed.

"Right here." Jordan murmured, her breath warm on Sara's ear. She squeezed tightly, drawing her farther in to the careful, reassuring hug that Sara had never even noticed.

If she hadn't already turned to jelly, Sara would have at that moment. Her warriors were still with her, every single one, and they still _trusted _her, even though she was showing the weakest display of leadership.

"I...this is..." Sara tried to form a coherent warning through her tears. She wanted to tell them all to run, to hide, to never come back. She wanted to tell them that the odds were impossible and that they were thirteen people against the world. She wanted to know that they were safe in the mortal realms and she wanted to erase their memories so they would never know what they had almost gotten themselves into. She wanted them all - even the ones with magical origins - to forget about magic and to forget about battles and, most of all, to forget about _her_ so it would be easier not to miss her when she died in a battle that she should have fought _alone_ right from the beginning.

_We know_. Violet used her hand on Sara's shoulder to project a clear message straight through her rambling thoughts. The voice wasn't Violet's, but a combination of the timbre and tone of every single warrior standing in front of her. The words sounded mundane, but the emotion they encompassed held every ounce of love and friendship and absolute trust that the group had for Sara. The voice sliced through Sara's head cleanly, a breath of fresh air in a space that had been closed off for too long.

They knew the risks, they knew she had been lying to them about the odds, but they still stood by her.

Sara straightened, a renewed sense of purpose lighting her heart for the second time that day, but this time the fierce desire to protect was directed at every single one of them.

There would be no sacrifices today.

* * *

**A/N: I know there was some concern about Sara's serious lack of trust. Hope this resolved it. Please R&R, and see you next chapter!**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Thanks to every single person who was a part of this story from start to finish. I'm sad to see it go but, at the same time, completely jazzed about the threequel. **

**Sophie: Got your two reviews, thanks for them, they're both wonderful. As was your name entry. There's no laughing at something like it. Sorry, but there's no replying to anonymous reviews. Except for this way.**

**Thanks so much to Mysil, crowned_tiger and Sophie for entering the name contest. Somehow, some way, you all understood the premise of the threequel without any hints. I commend you for it. We got some great choices: **

**-OTE: Across Universal Bindings **

**-OTE: Unto the Darkness**

**-OTE: Dawn of a New Day**

**For participating, you all get spoilers. PM me to get them.**

**Results: In the author's note at the bottom.**

**Sorry for any mistakes/historical inaccuracies in this chapter. My historically sound better half was flying today and couldn't do her job properly, but that didn't stop us from rolling out the last chapter in a great sequal. Thanks again!**

* * *

Somehow, the rebels knew.

Somehow, by some strange twist of fate, they were standing in three offensive lines, ten warriors long, their leader in front. They faced the forest, weapons in the warriors' hands, mages' bodies lit with magical fire, ready for Sara and her group when they arrived.

Watching.

Waiting.

Sara cleared the ridge first, at the point of her now _defensive _formation. As warrior after warrior came up behind her, she heard them all falter. They stumbled or gasped or swore, but they were all taken by surprise. Over the past months, they had lost warriors, trust, safety and confidence. Now, they had lost the only thing they had going for them: the element of surprise.

"Fall back." Warrick whispered in Sara's ear. "We can't..."

"We stay." Sara's steely eyes were narrowed, her attention caught on the smug rebel leader. "We fight. We _win."_

"We can't."

"We can. We will." Sara squared her shoulders and heard the rustle of clothing, the clank of weapons and the static burn of magical fire igniting as her warriors prepared themselves.

The rebel leader smiled at Sara, each facial movement crystal clear in Sara's flawless vision. Then he winked.

She growled.

He wiggled his finger at her, clearly saying _Come and get me._ Sara opened her eyes the whole way, fixing the rebel leader with a smouldering, fierce stare, her eyes snapping blue and green angrily. Magic seeped from her pores, fluidly pooling at her feet and crackling around her body furiously.

"Keep your cool. You're only giving him what he wants." Rhea whispered, drawing closer to Sara, but keeping her place as second-in-command. The battle would be lost without an opportunity to fight if Sara was undermined and disrespected within her own ranks.

"Oh don't worry," Sara growled. "I've got my eye on the prize."

Then she opened her mouth and released the shrillest, most deafening, cacophonous scream they had ever heard. It pierced through every fear or misgiving they had about the battle or their chances, stopping their weaknesses dead in their tracks. In everybody's mind, there was now only strength; only ability; only a clear, guided agenda that ended with their weapons piercing the rebels the same way Sara's scream had pierced them.

They poured forth over the mountain, letting out their own enraged cries as they brandished their weapons. Metal glittered colourfully in magical light, bathing the scene in colours. The rebels rushed to meet them, their cries bouncing off the mouths of the tunnels that were still teeming with diggers. Through the white noise of battle cries, Sara's call still rung true. Everybody steeled themselves, ready to fight, their minds echoing with the sound of Sara's war voice. Every single one of them, mortal or magical, knew what it was. While they were calling out cries for battle and victory, she was screeching out a different type of message:

A Call for Blood.

* * *

Hours into the battle, it still raged in full swing. Despite the terrible odds, and despite being heinously overwhelmed by power, skill and the sheer number of rebels, Sara's warriors were holding their own. From her position on the battle-field, Sara could almost see all of them. She was proud to call them her own; proud of _herself _for swearing to protect them. And she had been doing just that. Her side had seen no fatalities because of her watchful eye and the healers' skill and speed. Greg, though he would always be the youngest member of their CSI team and the most carefree, was doing a remarkable job. With Rain by his side, they were healing wounds faster than the rebels could dish them out. Sara smiled to herself as she saw the frantic look in the rebel leader's eyes. He had no healer. He had started out with many, many skilled warriors, but things had gone very badly, very quickly. For him at least.

When the rebels had realized that Sara's group was skilled, they had all, of course, started fighting to the death. That was their problem - they had died. It hadn't taken them too long to realize that they were, in the eyes of their leader, expendable. And when a warrior realized that he or she was expendable, being protected by no-one but themselves, the fight or flight instinct took over. No matter how much training they had had, and no matter how many hours of tactics they had been beaten over the heads with, flight still ruled over fight.

They had all run away very quickly after that.

Now, the odds were an almost-even two-to-one. The rebels' tactics seemed to consist solely of rushing Sara's warriors - overwhelming them with as many warriors and weapons they could manage - in an attempt to confuse them. Sara was the one who was confused. The rebel leader, while he wasn't particularly devious, was still rather bright. She had been locked in a one-on-one battle with him, almost exclusively, since the moment the two groups had collided. Though the other rebels had attempted to confuse and overcome her, Sara regarded them the same way most humans regard flies. She cut them down with a sword in one hand or with the constant stream of magic that was flowing around her body, but regardless of how she did it, they fell easily.

The sun had fully set and they were now fighting by firelight alone. The large bonfire didn't do much to help them, since it contributed more to deceptive shadows than it did to vision. There looked to be hundreds of warriors scattered around the fire, dancing with their weapons in the air, when there were really only thirty-five. The shadows were, in fact, the main contributor to the first serious injury sustained by one of Sara's warriors that night. The first, but certainly not the last.

Warrick had picked up the Khopesh rather quickly in practice, and was wielding it like a pro in battle. True to Sara's word, it was certainly a surprise to the rebels. Warrick had been moving rapidly around the clearing, exhibiting a clear preference for one single move. He rarely strayed, and he rarely lost.

Rarely, but not Never.

He used the hooked end of the blade to pull down the rebel warriors' shields, which they used as crutches in battle. They all hid behind their thick obsidian shields like the cowards they were and exhibited very few skills that didn't involve using the sharpened edge of the obsidian - three times sharper than surgical steel - to slit throats and remove limbs. Though the use of a shield as an offensive weapon was an impressive skill, it came nowhere near to rivalling Warrick's favourite move. As he hooked his blade over the shields, he wrenched them down just far enough to expose the warriors' necks - the only parts of their bodies not protected by the medieval armour they were wearing. He used his speed to augment the precision of the blade, unhooked it in a tenth of a second, and had his opponents on the ground in the time it took him to blind their blood out of his eyes.

His mistake came when he was trying this manoeuvre with two rebels at the same time. The two who confronted him were two who he hadn't noticed. They had been covertly watching his progress in the battle since he had started fighting, and knew his moves as well as he did. As he went in for the kill, the two warriors slid their shields out from his blade and used them in tandem. Though the cutting edge of the obsidian didn't catch on his skin, the blunt force of the shields crashed down on him hard enough to force him to the ground, which his head and chest hit with audible cracks. He gasped once before his muscles relaxed. He didn't get up.

Sara had been watching the exchange out of the corner of her eye, ready and willing to keep her oath at moment's notice. The minute she saw him go down, a stream shot out from her hands and connected firmly with his body. Before the hard, obsidian edges sliced through him, he was encased in a sheet of blue-green that deflected everything heavier than air. Her concentration on her battle with the rebel leader - and his sycophantic flies - broke for only a moment while she willed Warrick's body to travel to Greg. It was only a moment - and a short one - but it was enough.

"Bind her!" The rebel leader yelled, his command directed to one of the largest tunnels that had been dug. Sara's mind vaguely registered the static buzz of magic, and then she found her limbs paralyzed. Her magic ran in her veins, but she found that she couldn't _do _anything with it. It was as if she were stuck in a block of ice, alive inside, frozen everywhere else.

A laugh came then, from the tunnels that Sara hadn't thought to close off. She had gotten cocky, overconfident and preoccupied with everything else. Now it was going to cost her.

From the depths of the tunnel, a dark shape stepped forwards. His skin was a strange shade of dark gray with the texture of tree bark and reptile scales. His hair was slicked back, jet black as she knew it would be. His eyes - red, black and glowing - fixed on her. His thin, black lips curved into a menacing, evil smile that fit him like nothing else. A black cape flowed behind him in a wind of his own making, the crest sewn on to it glinting in the firelight. He glowed red and black with the force of his magic and the power it took to contain her.

"You thought you could finish me that easily?" He laughed darkly, circling her. He had bound everybody in the clearing, even his own. Now, every single warrior, demon and non-demon alike, was forced to watch the exchange. "A simple spell cannot contain me, as long as I have loyal followers." He slashed a hand at his "loyal followers" and they all dropped. "However, they took too long in their task; allowed you to get too close. I have others to continue this quest." He waved a hand, a magically charged tornado whirling around him, his form turning translucent underneath the veil of red and black.

"I will leave you alive, for now," he continued, his voice half-insubstantial, like his body. "The fallout of your death would not do me well, nor would the magical lash-back because of your..." And he shuddered primly at this, "substantial power. No, you shall remain alive for now, but you shall never _never_ take my throne from me."

In his hand, as he disappeared, Sara saw a darkly glowing piece of rolled up paper. A scroll. _The _scroll.

She had known from the start that he wasn't the Demon King, but he was not an improvement. She felt her body return to her as his magical influence dwindled in his absence, but she did not move. She stood, unmoving, staring at the spot he had just stood. He, the man she had forsaken to a life of darkness and torture; he, the man she had sworn never to let return; he, the man who had driven her first quest. He had returned, and he now had the words to bring the Demon King to life. If time, his power would grow and, in time, he would use it to bring back the Master of his king. For a moment, she could almost picture his face. Dark and sadistic, standing in front of her, the evil smile still plastered on his terrifying visage.

Him, the man she wished never to see again.

Him, The Ruler.

* * *

Sara sank down on the grass, slick and red with the blood of the dead. She could only stare, sapped of all energy, her eyes wide in horror as she took in the scene in front of her. There were bodies littering the ground, and her eyes could vaguely pick up the retreating forms of their enemies as they ran towards the capital. The remaining members of her group fell in behind her, their faces masks of horror as well. The CSIs had seen some grotesque things in their days, but none quite so gruesome as this. The gore was only worse now that they had been a part of it.

Before she encased her group -all of them - in a small veil of her magic to transport them back to the mortal realms, she heard herself whisper the two words that would rule her actions until the Ruler was vanquished once more.

"We lost."

* * *

**A/N: What an way to end, I know. Don't worry, that's why there's a threequel.**

** The results to the threequel naming: As I said, great entries. I was dancing around the idea of combining everything I got (OTE: Eternally Bound: The Dawn of Darkness, the Dawn of Light). As I said earlier, you all get spoilers for entering, so PM me and I'll hand them over with a smile on my face. **

**The threequel, which is up now, is called OTE: Eternal.**

**Thanks for staying along for a great ride!**

**~Twilight-Flame337**


End file.
